Salzburg

 Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Morning found our ship tied up in Passau, Germany.  Breakfast was served early, as by 8:00 many of us would board a cushy bus for the long ride, across the Germany-Austria border, to Salzburg.  As I disembarked the ship, I noted that we were in second position.  That is, we weren't tied to the dock, but rather to another cruise ship that was tied to the dock.  Tied very closely, as you can see in the picture. 

In this situation we would simply walk off our ship, through their ship, and onto their gangplank.  Once we were in third position, so walked through two ships before setting our feet on land. It was hard not to snoop a bit at their travel commodities and accommodations as we passed through.   

The day was rather gray.  Though there were many empty seats on the bus, a fellow traveler opted to sit with me, rather than her family, limiting my picture-taking. 

After a several hour ride, our first stop in Salzburg was at the Mirabell Palace and Gardens.  We didn't tour the palace, which is now public buildings, but wandered about the gardens.  The "Do-Re-Mi" scene from The Sound of Music was filmed in this garden.  Maria and the children danced and frolicked around a fountain as they sang.

The subdued daylight did little for the gardens.  But in truth, they aren't lush.  They would probably look striking from the air, with their curlicued beds of low growing color.  But no exotic blooms were to be found, or even a single rose bush.  

Schloss Mirabell, a solid, boxy edifice, was ordered built in 1606 by Prince-Archbishop Dietrich von Raitenau, for his mistress, Salome Alt and their massive brood of fifteen children.  It has been redesigned through the ensuing years.  Now housing offices for city officials, it's also a popular wedding venue.

Back on the bus we trundled through the narrow streets.  Here, at Makartplatz 8, we find the family residence of Mozart. 

Our bus tour ended, we disembarked for a few hours of free time.  Our exploration of this ancient city would begin along the Salzach River, which runs through the city, dividing it between the Altstadt (old city) and Neustadt (new city).  We stood on the banks of the Neustadt side, looking westward across the river to the old, with the Hohensalzburg Fortress sprawled across the skyline.

Good tour guides always attempt to cement in our minds where we will meet the ship or bus at the end of our free time.  Here we stood, not only on the banks of a sizeable river, but near a unique bridge.  Liberally festooned with "love locks", it was our passage to all the wonders the old city held.