Saltzburg

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Salzburg, Day Trip

November 8, 2001

Dear Friends and Family,

From Bad Reichenhall, Salzburg is a quick 20-minute ride. Of course there are no border formalities between EU countries Germany and Austria. The old checkpoint is an abandoned building. The only complication we had in visiting a new country was that we needed some Austrian shillings. That complication will disappear in less than two months as both countries will go to the new Euro currency. For us tourist, this change can't happen too soon.

Salzburg is yet another of the towns and cities around here that has an old city at it's "centrum". That old city was our goal. By now, we understand the wisdom of immediately parking the car when we get near the narrow streets and pedestrian-only zones of these centrums. In Salzburg, the main parking lots are carved from the inside of the bluff that holds the old fortresses above the lower commercial zone. Parking was easy but walking out through the tunneled path was an unsettling. Claustrophobes should avoid this place.

The shopping area was large and sophisticated. Everything was for sale, from absolutely perfect fruits and vegetables to big-ticket jewelry. I kept saying "it won't fit in the car" and Marianne pointed out that jewelry is quite small. She won the argument but fortunately did not find a piece she "needed".

Marianne had been in Salzburg in summer last time and at that time the narrow streets and alleys were jammed with people, mostly tourists. Now, the same places were almost empty. Some of the street kiosks didn't even bother to open. Add one more point for the benefits of off-season travel.

Before they were putting parking lots into the bluffs, the Salzbergers used them for burials. The catacombs are reportedly quite extensive, but visits were not possible because they were closed for their own vacation. Take away that point for off-season travel.

Not everyone was entombed in the caves. All the ground surrounding the small St. Peter's church was filled with immaculately maintained graves. Every gravesite was honored with flowers, plants, and candles. We wondered if elaborate decoration was a requirement for being interred here. No flowers: no admittance.

Standing guard over the center of Salzburg is a hilltop fortress. We reached it by the cable tram from the station next door to the St. Peter's graves. At the top, we found wonderful views of the city and the local forest . But the fortress itself was somehow too commercial to be interesting. I think the fortress in Burghausen had spoiled us. In any event, we just walked around a little and then headed for the tram.

From the tram, we headed for the car and from there, back to our small Bad. So, what was our overall impression? That's hard to say. Salzburg is probably one of the jewels of the gateways to the Alps. But are the shops too perfect? Was the fortress really too commercial? Might there really be a requirement that the graves be perfectly decorated?

Take care, sweep the sidewalk, wash the window sills and trim the family gravesite.

John and Marianne

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Created November 19, 2001

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