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| Erin's Journal for 10-02-02 Sunday in Salzburg was for a leisurely exploration of the castle and our day trip options in the nearby countryside. After so many big cities, we wanted to see something different away from the crowds. We had options of salt mines, ice caves, nearby lakes with stunning mountain views, etc. We gathered the information on all these options, and sat in the rare sunshine to discuss them. We debated trying to get to a salt mine today, but it was already late morning and I had my heart set on going up to the fortress for some photos and Alp views. So we agreed to go to a lake on Monday, since Glenn had already been to the ice caves and salt mines on a previous trip with a previous girlfriend! We stayed in the town square for a while, basking in the sun and watching some giant chess being played by two Austrians. Glenn quietly tried to explain who was winning, but I was not familiar enough with possible moves to understand yet, and we soon moved on. We took a funicular (train-like lift) up the hillside to the castle, which seemed like a waste of money until we realized that the price included admission and had saved us a LOT of climbing. Then we walked around the outside of the fortress admiring the stunning countryside and Alps just across the valley, taking a few photos as we went. When we finished there, we decided to look for a park to read in, and found an out-of-the-way spot a short distance from the castle with excellent views of both the fort and the mountains, and sat there reading and snacking for a restful hour. Walking back down to the city, we watched some more giant chess, this time with Glenn explaining the rules and moves to me so I could better understand it (and eventually try my hand at games at home!), then purchased some sturm, a freshly-crushed 'new wine' we'd learned about from our friends the other day. We took it across the river to sit on the banks and snack and drink in view of the city as we read. Very relaxing! Then we found the Mirabella gardens, which offered a classic postcard view of the city and fortress. It was getting dark, so we walked back to the hostel and bought a relatively cheap dinner, but had to stand to eat it, as the seating area doubles as the bar and everyone who'd had first servings of dinner had stuck in their seats to drink and talk. We went up to our room and chatted with our new roommates, a couple from the Bay of Islands in northern New Zealand. I tried to type journals, but stopped when everyone went to bed and read for a bit until I could sleep too. |
| The countryside surrounding Salzburg was dreamy with scenery |