Arrived in Salzburg

After a couple hour bus ride I am in Austria. I arrive first in Salzburg, the former roman settlement run by an archdiocese. It flourished in salt mining riches and at some point was part of Bavaria. Eventually Salzburg was annexed into Austria where it remains today.

Salzburg is also the birthplace of Mozart and where he spent his early years before he wandered off to Vienna to make money.

But what many from the USA know this city for is from a little musical called Sound of Music that was filmed here. The musical was a childhood staple and is the focus of a tour I attend (more on that later).

I am a week too early for the Salzburg music festival which is disappointing or fortunate depending on the way you look at it. I think it would be neat to attend some performances but the crowds would get on my nerves.

I book a boutique hotel from my credit card points and I have been having good luck when I do that lately. I am staying at a really nice hotel on the river in a room overlooking the river and fortress.

I make dinner plans at a trendy restaurant that just happens to be the oldest restaurant in Europe called St. Peter Stiftskulinarium. But before that I explore the area a little and pop in some churches.

Stiftskirche St. Peter (St Peter’s Abbey)

I am dinning outside today but apparently there are historic rooms you can dine in. I could not figure out how to get reservations specifically in those rooms. Dining outdoors is nice but it could be any trendy restaurant in any city. The steak I ordered is slightly overlooked. I am so used to restaurants undercooking my steak I wasn’t expecting this one. I guess order steaks rare if you dine here. The menu has many other interesting dishes as well but I have my heart set on some red meat for some reason. I guess its been a while since I’ve had a steak.

After dinner it is still early so I walk around town and end up in the cemetary of St Peters church. It is quiet and calm due to the tour groups gone for the day and it is probably one of the most beautiful, but small, cemeteries I have ever seen.