Salzburg, Austria

02 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment

by s.moua in Austria, Europe Tags: Hellbrunn Palace & Trick Fountains, Hohensalzburg Fortress, Mozart, Salzburg, The Sound of Music

Travel dates: 22 July 2011 – 24 July 2011

I <3 castles so I really, really wanted to go to Prague but it didn’t work out. I didn’t have enough time to travel by train, it cost half of a plane ticket to take an overnight train with my rail pass, and plane tickets jumped to $400. I decided to go to Salzburg and Vienna, Austria instead. I took a train from Kehl, Germany (next to Strasbourg, France – where I was for the month of July) to Munich, Germany and spent a night there before leaving for Salzburg on 22 July. The trip to Munich was not bad; but being me, I got lost when I got to Kehl (I didn’t get off at the right stop for the train station). The only disadvantage for the trip to Munich was that I didn’t reserve a seat (I was told I didn’t need to because I had a pass). I later found out that I should have reserved a seat because the other seats were reserved; this meant that I had to move around to look for seats that were not reserved. It was the most annoying thing ever.

When I got to Munich, I went straight to the tourist office, got a map and got more information on how to go to Dachau to visit the concentration camp. [I don't think I will do a post on the concentration camp.] I left my bag at the train station and headed to Dachau.

NOTE: The train station in Munich only has one bathroom. The bathroom is in Burger King. You may have to pay to use the bathroom.

I spent a night in Munich at a hostel close by and left for Salzburg early the next day with a girl that I had met at the hostel.

Salzburg

I hadn’t originally plan on visiting Salzburg but my friends convinced me to go; it was, apparently, beautiful. I have seen bits and pieces of The Sound of Music (filmed in Salzburg), so I wasn’t drawn to it. It was not a bad decision, because Salzburg is beautiful.

Salzburg is about 2 hours away from Munich. It was pouring when we got to Salzburg. Fortunately, the tourist office was right in front of the train station, so we were able to get the information. Because I was staying for the night and the girl (can’t remember her name) was only there for the day, we decided to see the city by ourselves.

Mozart’s House

After I ate at the restaurant next to the tourist office, I took a bus to see Mozart’s house. I was impressed with the bus system in Salzburg. It was fast and convenient. It was interesting to learn about Mozart’s life and his family. I barely knew anything about Mozart, but I just wanted to see his house.

 

They wouldn’t let me take pictures inside the museum, so I only took pictures of the exterior. When I was done looking at Mozart’s house, I walked over to see his birth place. It was pretty much the same as his house. I just learned a bit more about his family and his childhood.

St. Peter’s Cemetery & Catacombs

On my way to Hohensalzburg Fortress, I stopped by St. Peter’s Church and Cemetery (one of the sights in The Sound of Music) and the catacombs. It was my first time visiting a cemetery out of choice. I’ve actually have never been inside a cemetery ever; they freak me out.

{church}

 

{cemetery & catacombs}

Hohensalzburg Fortress

Hohensalzburg Fortress is one of the largest fortresses in Central Europe. There are two ways to get up to the fortress – walk or take a cable; I took the cable cart.  The fortress sits high up on a hill overlooking the city. Since I had my Salzburg pass I took a museum tour; it was quite interesting to learn the history of the fortress.

When I finished my tour and took enough pictures of Salzburg, I left to see Hellbrunn Palace & Trick Fountains. I did not know how to exit the fortress the way I came up, so I followed some people and eventually made my way out. It turned out that my decision to take the cable car was the right choice. The walking path up to the fortress was steep and long; I don’t know how people were able to do it.

The best thing about the fortress was the view of the city.

Hellbrunn Palace & Trick Fountains

In addition to getting lost, one of my other misfortune was failing to read the map that I got at the tourism office correctly. I thought that I could walk to Hellbrunn Palace but I was wrong. I was fortunate enough to meet a local who spoke English who directed me in the right direction – i.e. which bus to take and where to get off.

 

By the time I finished my tour it was getting late, so I went back to the train station to get my bag. When I got my bag, I took a bus to my hostel. My hostel turned out to be farther than I had originally thought. It was not surprising that I got lost while trying to find the hostel. Thank goodness I decided to check-in early because the hostel was located far out and it was creepy walking in the dark by yourself. Needless to say, I decided to eat at the hostel.