Austria: Salzburg, May 13

We had another amazing European breakfast (sarcasm noted) before checking out of our hotel room in Munich. We then loaded up the car, prepared Mr. T, and continued our adventure south to Austria. This was perhaps one of the most beatifully scenic drives I will ever take. Despite the hot sweaty car, the drive was extremely enjoyable as we approached the Alps more and more with each kilometer.

Salzburg is famous for Mozart and The Sound of Music, so it was only fitting that we decided to have lunch in Mozartplatz. This lunch was noteworthy for me because the bread that accompanied our meals contained anise seeds, which you just don't get everyday. My family would have gone crazy for this bread so I made sure to make the most of it. After taking a stop to see Mozart's statue, we headed for Hohensalzburg Fortress.





The Fortress sits atop the mountain and overlooks the city. Perhaps one of its most fascinating characteristics is the fact that it was bult over 900 years ago. That's a seriously old landmark. Another fascinating charactertistic is the ride to the top of the mountain, via furnicular, which I happened to greatly enjoy. It's not every day you get to ride one, you know? We spent some time exploring the Fortress and enjoying amazing views of the city.

Salzburg is honestly a beautiful city, with lots of great sights. We spent time exploring Salzburg's Cathedral, St. Peter's Cathedral and Cemetery, Mozart's birthplace and residence, and Mirabellgarten (or Mirabell Garden). Throughout much of the afternoon, we enjoyed great weather as we explored each of these sights. Each was unique in its own way.

The highlight of the trip to Salzburg was our evening at St. Peter's. Since no trip to Salzburg is complete without experiencing classical music, we decided to attend a Mozart Dinner Concert at St. Peter's. We were seated with two couples from Australia. Between courses, a four-string qaurtet, a male singer, and a female singer performed pieces of Mozart's music in this intimate setting. There were only at most forty people seated for dinner, so it was quite an elegant experience. Even the dessert had a Mozart twist. All in all, it was a fabulous evening, not to mention a great relaxing and rewarding day.