Salzburg

Tuesday July 5th, 2012

I started out the morning early catching a train from St. Urban to Villach, and from Villach to Salzburg. I just made my Salzburg train and hopped on as the conductor was blowing his whistle.

For some perspective again (courtesy of google maps)

Since it was morning time I ran into a bunch of school kids heading to school and on school trips. While the younger children are cute and the teens are amusing to watch (one of them was straightening her hair on the train with an iron), at the same time it means I have to battle for a seat. Once I was settled I prepared myself for the long haul (train trip is about 2 and a half hours). I find that its helpful to bring some music and/or a book when doing train travel (my kindle has gotten a lot of use).

A mystery Zotter chocolate bar my austrian father had given me the day before. He told me to eat it in the morning before it got hot enough to melt it. It tasted like a mixture of peanut butter and curry?

I only ran into a little bit of ticket trouble. I have just recently acquired a pass for the Austrian railway that allows me to get on a train without buying a ticket AFTER 8 am. Since I started traveling before 8 am I had to buy a ticket that would cover my trip until it was 8 am (my ticket was from St. Urban to Mallnitz since the Salzburg train stops in Mallnitz just after 8am. So when the ticket conductor came by to check my ticket there was momentary confusion on which ticket he wanted. He saw my ticket to Mallnitz but he wanted the proof of why I could get half off the price (Vorteilscard, separate piece of paper). I initially showed him the family card vorteilscard I used to pay for the ticket, then I showed him my summer train pass, and then finally realized what he really wanted and handed him my half off pass. Luckily I will soon get a actual card with my picture on it which should serve to cover both traveling free after 8 am and getting half off ticket prices.

I arrived in Salzburg a little before 10 am and headed to Salzburg old town, promptly getting lost (even though I was in more urban area, I never felt unsafe). Realizing I was heading the wrong way I turned towards what I thought was the river and ran into a sign that said Mozartplatz was in 2.3 km. Sadly Mozartplatz is in old town which meant i was 2.3 km off course.

Map of Salzburg. Train station in german is Bahnof which you can see up in the very top of the map and old town Salzburg is mostly south of the river Salzach butting up against the Monchs berg (courtesy of Salzburg Convention Bureau).

 Now would probably be a good time to give you a little history on Salzburg (which I shamelessly ripped off wikipedia):

"The first settlements at Salzburg were apparently begun by the Celts around the 5th century BC.
Around 15 BC the separate settlements were merged into one city by the Roman Empire. At this time the city was called Juvavum and was awarded the status of a Roman municipium in 45 AD. Juvavum developed into an important town of the Roman province of Noricum. After the collapse of the Norican frontier, Juvavum declined so sharply that by the late 7th century it had become a "near ruin".

The Life of Saint Rupert credits the 8th-century saint with the city's rebirth. When Theodo of Bavaria asked Rupert to become bishop c. 700, Rupert reconnoitered the river for the site of his basilica. Rupert named the city "Salzburg". The name Salzburg means "Salt Castle". It derives its name from the barges' carrying salt on the Salzach River, which were subject to a toll in the 8th century, as was customary for many communities and cities on European rivers.

Independence from Bavaria was secured in the late 14th century. Salzburg was the seat of the Archbishopric of Salzburg, a prince-bishopric of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1805, Salzburg was annexed to the Austrian Empire together with Berchtesgaden. In 1809, the territory of Salzburg was transferred to the Kingdom of Bavaria after Austria's defeat at Wagram. At the Congress of Vienna in 1815, it was definitively returned to Austria, but without Rupertigau and Berchtesgaden, which passed to Bavaria. Salzburg was integrated into the Salzach province and Salzburgerland was ruled from Linz. In 1850, Salzburg's status was once more restored as the capital of the Duchy of Salzburg, a crownland of the Austrian Empire. The city became part of Austria-Hungary in 1866 as the capital of a crownland into the Austrian Empire.



During WWI, Salzburg, which was a capital of an Austro-Hungarian territory, became part of German Austria in 1918 and the First Austrian Republic in 1919, after the Treaty of Versailles.

During WWII the Anschluss, Austria, with Salzburg being a part of it, was annexed to the German Third Reich on 12 March 1938, one day before a scheduled referendum about Austria's independence. German troops were moved to the city. Political opponents, Jewish citizens and other minorities were subsequently arrested and deported. The synagogue was destroyed and several POW camps for prisoners from the Soviet Union and other nations were organized in the area.


Allied bombing destroyed 7,600 houses and killed 550 inhabitants. A total of 15 strikes destroyed 46 percent of the city's buildings especially around Salzburg train station. The town's bridges and the dome of the cathedral were demolished. American troops entered Salzburg on 5 May 1945.

Some Notable people who lived here: Wolfgang Mozart (actually born in Salzburg), and the Von Trapps (Sound of Music)"

It is important to note that the Prince Archbishops are very important in Salzburg. They controlled the city for a long time and were behind many of the major historical buildings in the area. The Prince Archbishops were wealthy (controlled money made from salt) and not men to be taken lightly.

Walking towards old town I start to see some older buildings as I approached Salzach river (couldn't see river, but knew it was there).

Street View (St. Sebastian church tower in view)

Initially thought this lead to the castle.... Actually led up a different 'hill' and was incredibly steep.

Finally the river! You can see the castle on top of the 'hill'

Right before I crossed the bridge I ran into a watercolor artist who had some watercolors of Salzburg. It seems that small watercolors run around 10-15 euros which isn't bad if you want a small memento to remind you of your trip. I picked up one watercolor from him which had the Castle Festung in the background.

Crossing the bridge with locks from sweethearts attached (originally a Japanese tradition?)

A street performer outside a Spar in old town Salzburg

 

Some video of the street performer

Ran into a market

Bought a doughnut pretzel (or is it a pretzel doughnut) that was HUGE

Haha, L'Occitane in Salzburg, prices were more expensive then U.S. though

A statue of some apes?

I would later find out that this is the front of the Dom (cathedral)

Pretty statue in front of Dom

Close up of one of the figures

After all these photos you are probably wondering where exactly I'm going to. My goal for Salzburg was to hit at least the Festung Castle and the Salzburg museum. I tried to get to the Festung Castle first which had me walking through old town Salzburg. I've attached a map below with my destinations circled so you can see where they are in relation to each other within Salzburg.

(courtesy of Salzburg Convention Bureau)

Festung Hohensalzburg (castle): price 11 euros for inclusive ticket

I ended up taking the lift from the Salzburg old town up into the castle. While there is a path you can walk up to get into the castle at the time the lift seemed rather easy (not to mention I ran into the lift station first). The price of 11 euros covered the lift trip both up and down, and exhibits 1 and 2 (which I will explain later).

For those of you not familiar with the castle, Festung castle was built in 1097 AD which many renovations to it throughout the centuries by the Prince Archbishops.


Some more history shamelessly ripped of wikipedia:


"Hohensalzburg Castle (meaning "High Salzburg Fortress") is a castle in the Austrian city of Salzburg, atop the Festungsberg mountain. Erected at the behest of the Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg, it today with a length of 250 m (820 ft) and a width of 150 m (490 ft), is one of the largest medieval castles in Europe.

Construction of the fortress began in 1077 under Archbishop Gebhard von Helfenstein. This original design was just a basic bailey with a wooden wall. In the Holy Roman Empire, the Salzburg Archbishops already were powerful political figures, and they expanded the castle to protect their interests.


Prince-Archbishop Leonhard von Keutschach during his term from 1495 until 1519 further expanded the castle. His coadjutor Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg, who was later to succeed Leonhard, in 1515 wrote a description of the Reisszug, a very early and primitive funicular railway that provided freight access to the upper courtyard of the castle. The line still exists, albeit in updated form, and is probably the oldest operational railway in the world.



The only time that the fortress actually came under siege was during the Peasants' War in 1525, when a group of miners, farmers and townspeople tried to oust Prince-Archbishop Matthäus Lang, but failed to take the castle.

Hohensalzburg was refurbished from the late 19th century onwards and became a major tourist attraction, with the Festungsbahn cable car, opened in 1892, leading up from the town to the Hasengrabenbastei. It stands today as one of the best preserved castles in Europe.
During the early 20th century it was used as a prison, holding Italian prisoners of war during World War I and Nazi activists (before the Anschluss with Germany) in the 1930s."


The Festung castle has a very good view of the city which I managed to capture both on my way up the lift and at the lower level of the castle I arrived at.

video of city from lift

View from lower level of castle

The Dom from the castle

Western part of old town Salzburg

Eastern part of old town Salzburg

First castle well I run into

Puppet in the Marrionette museum (very small) in the mid level area of the castle

In castle plaza

Second well in Castle Festung

Hey! Its a 'penny' stamp machine! Located in the shop at plaza level.

Another view at plaza level

 Now time for #1 and #2 exhibit explanations. The castle used #1 and #2 to describe two separate areas of the castle where you needed a ticket for entrance.

#1 was for a walk up in the interior of the castle that would take you up through some rooms (some prison rooms, etc.) with the big interest being a view from the top of the castle.

The tours left every 30 mins (first 38 people let through) and handheld devices that gave room information to you in your language was provided. Some interesting information on the function of the castle and the Prince Archbishops separate renovations were given.

View from top of Festung Castle

Got someone to take my picture...

View from inside the castle

#2 was basically the museum part of the castle which stretched several floors and many many different rooms. I would probably say that this was one of the more time consuming areas but still well worth it to visit. The signs were both in German and English and at least two hours were needed for the museum that not only covered the castle history (in addition to looking at the Prince rooms w/ private chapel) but hordes of related material from the area.

Dolls with different period military clothing

A somewhat musketeer-ish hat

1866 military uniform

A part of the exhibit seemed dedicated to WWI soldiers who fought mostly on the Tyrol front (in the mountains) against Italy. From wiki: "This put Tyrol on the front line, which passed through some of the highest mountains in the Alps. The ensuing front became known as the "War in ice and snow", as troops occupied the highest mountains and glaciers all year long. Twelve metres (40 feet) of snow were common during the winter of 1915–16, and tens of thousands of soldiers disappeared in avalanches. The remains of these soldiers are still being uncovered today. The Italian Alpini, their Austrian counterparts (Kaiserjäger, Standschützen and Landesschützen), and the German Alpenkorps occupied every hill and mountain top. They began carving extensive fortifications and military quarters, even drilling tunnels inside the mountains and deep into glaciers, like at Marmolada. Hundreds of troops would drag guns over mountains up to 3,890 m (12,760 ft). Streets, cable cars, mountain railways and walkways through the steepest of walls were built. The first to occupy higher ground became almost impossible to dislodge, so both sides turned to drilling tunnels under mountain peaks, filling them up with explosives, then detonating the entire mountain, including its defenders, such as Col di Lana, Monte Pasubio, Lagazuoi, etc. Climbing and skiing became essential skills for the troops of both sides and soon Ski Battalions and Special Climbing units were formed."

Doorway in castle

Part of Prince rooms

Even the Prince's toilet wasn't that fancy

Later renovations.

Early renovations.

Map of Festung Castle

Torturers from the middle ages seemed to have had an odd sense of humor

Somewhat amusing, but no doubt uncomfortable to the wearer

Some puppets/marionettes

Uncovered arch in the wall from initial construction (later covered up in renovations).

Private chapel by Prince rooms

Stone lion on outside of castle

View of castle coming back down the lift

I walked towards the Salzburg museum after coming down the lift and ran into some interesting things on the way.

Street performer (kissed my hand)

He does look a little creepy doesn't he?

fountain in town plaza

Closer look at fountain. Was this the one from the "Sound of Music"?

Hey its the Mozartplatz (Mozart plaza). Dedicated to Mozart (as much of the city is) and showing off some street musicians.

Mozart Statue

Street Performers

The actual sign for the plaza

Some horse drawn carriages (men in bicycles with little carts and rakes would ride around the city to pick up after the horses)

Salzburg Museum (entry fee 4 euros)

The Salzburg Museum had only two floors open when I visited (although the building it was in connected to other types of museums with separate entrance fees). One being sacred art (mostly virgin mary and jesus) and the other being the 'Salzburg mystery' (mostly seemed like artwork of Salzburg).

Big bags weren't allowed into the museum however they had little lockers behind the front desk where you would put in a one euro coin to take the key (would get the 1 euro coin back when you returned the key). The exhibits were beautiful but it was very quiet. It was almost sad to see no one there to appreciate the museum (or relax in its air conditioning).

I mostly treated the museum as a lesson in art appreciation rather than in art history. There were signs half in German and half in English but it wasn't always easy to follow which sign belonged to which art piece. Hence I won't be posting much info with these museum photos.

Sacred Art floor:

Salzburg Mystery floor:

Napoleon

One of the Prince Archbishops

After the Salzburg Museum I headed back to the train station to spend the night in Hallein (south of Salzburg).

Street View

Hallein

Hallein is just a little south of Salzburg and I ended up staying with a relative of my austrian family. It is very close to the German border and the town is very small; the river has cramped Hallein into a small space creating narrow streets and cozy buildings.

Courtesy of Google Maps

Some history (off wikipedia):

"Long known for the Hallein Salt Mine in the Dürrnberg plateau, settlements in the area have been traced 4000 years back. It was a Celtic community from 600 BCE until the Romans took over their Noricum kingdom in 15 BCE. The name Hallein is derived from the Greek and the Celtic word hal for salt. In the 11th century the extraction of salt at Hallein became crucial for the economic wealth of the Salzburg Archbishopric, competing the saline at Reichenhall in Bavaria.

Hallein was the site of a work camp annex to the Dachau concentration camp during World War II."

Hallein also boasts of a great Celtic museum, salt mine tours, and also a museum in Franz Gruber's house (who wrote Silent night). It was heavily bombed during WWII around its railroad tracks.

My host took me out for some dinner at Stadtkrug near the center of old town. The waitress knew a little English and pointed out some vegetarian dishes such as a dish called kasnocken ans some pizza. My host said she would order the kasnocken (regional Salzburg dish) and let me try some. I ordered a pizza with olives (w/ pits?), goat cheese, artichokes, and mushrooms (suppose to be regional). My pizza was good if somewhat and the salty side (also came with salad) and my host's kasnocken was fabulous (sorry no photos, I was so famished I forgot). I finished my pizza my looked on with jealousy at my host's meal.

Afterwards we stopped by for some ice cream and then took a walk of the town with my host telling me some stories (some photos to go with the stories). She was born and raised in Hallein which gave her an interesting perspective on the city. Her English was very rough though so I can't guarantee a entirely accurate translation.

Watermelon ice cream

The Bird Fountain (in middle of old town)

See that fountain with birds? Once the mayor had a bird he kept in a cage. One day his wife left the door to the cage open and the bird escaped. The mayor ran out to the townspeople and told them to shut all the town doors (gates?) and the people followed his order. However the bird simply flew over the town doors and was gone.


The Devil doesn't like church


See that strange pair of rocks on the 'hill'. We have a story for that. Once the devil was sleeping in the mid morning. The church bells from a neighboring town (didn't quite catch the town name) woke him up and he was so angry that he stomped his foot down breaking the rock into two.

The Punishment Stone


See that stone? That stone was used for punishment. If you bragged too much to your neighbor and your neighbor reported you (?) then you would be hung on the stone as punishment.

The Parish Church

See the church? There was a big fire in 1943 and the tower, the church roof, and surrounding buildings were on fire. The tower eventually fell down in 1945 and wasn't rebuilt until 1967. Now its very ugly.

Church from a distance. I thought that 60s concrete construction of buildings only happened in the U.S....

Dates of fire and reconstruction (now a catholic church?)

Church altar

Organ (can you see the word gruber on the little plaque below the organ?)

Franz Gruber


Franz Gruber composed 'Silent Night' and he lived across from the church. This is his grave. He often helped out at the church with the lighting and other things that were needed.

Gruber's Grave

My parent's house

See that pink building? My parent's flat was there and I grew up there. My brother now lives in that flat. The town hall is across the street (joke about mayor's bird again).

Look for the dark pink building on left side of street

Salt in the Walls

See this? These houses were used for processing salt and salt got into the walls. Now the salt corrodes the wall and each year a little more comes off. This is one of the reasons why I moved into a new flat a little outside of old town. It was too expensive each year to pay for the damage.

Can see the corrosion of the wall

Street vies (very narrow street)

Alleyway with cramped windows

Wednesday June 4, 2012

I started out wednesday in Hallein and my older austrian brother offered to drive me into Salzburg because he had work there in the morning.

My older austrian brother's car... yes it is one of THOSE cars

My older austrian brother driving

 As we reached the outskirts of Salzburg we ran into a little traffic and my austrian brother called it a traffic jam. I laughed and told him it was much better than Seattle.

I arrived in Salzburg fairly early at 8:30 am. Many shops and museums (except cafes) don't open until 9 am. Most people I saw were locals riding bicycles to work. Most tourists don't seem to show up until somewhere between 10-11 am. There seemed to be a lot of Austrian school children wandering around with chaperones doing some sort of scavenger hunt.

Morning street view in Salzburg

Destinations for day 2 in Salzburg (courtesy of Salzburg Convention Bureau)

A little darker part of Salzburg history in the form of a four sided cube posted on one of the bridges into old town. You probably can't read the cube but it apologizes for everyone who had to build this bridge from 1941-1945.

A statue I haven't seen before?

Yours truly in front of the fountain

the fountain looking as equally beautiful today

Fountain I didn't see the day before

A chess set! One of my guidebooks mentioned this and said you would have to wait in a line to use it but no line! This might have something to do though with all the tents set up for a festival next week.

Statue in front of Dom

Dom (free entrance, donation box at front booth)


Ahh, what to say about the Dom (cathedral). It was so very beautiful and had so many different niches to look at. I was rather sad that travelers with small children barely spent any time in here. Perhaps this is because the Dom has no exhibits and very few signs. Really though, it is a building that speaks for itself.

From the front entrance

History (handed out at the entrance):

"Our cathedral is dedicated to Saint Rupert and Saint Virgil. It counts among the treasures of sacred building art in the german-speaking area. You will find three dates on the entrance grilles:


774 The Abbot and Bishop Virgil, who came from Ireland, consecrated the first cathedral.


1628 The old minster was demolished after a fire. Archbishop Markus Sittikus began the building of this cathedral; Archbishop paris Lodron consecrated it on September 25, 1628.


1959 An aerial bomb destroyed the cathedral dome on October 16, 1944. Archbishop Andreas Rohracher directed rebuilding during the difficult post-war period. The cathedral could be reopened for rom. cath. services on May 1, 1959."

I noticed a tour group exit from a side door then climb up one of the stairs to the had one of the four smaller organs near the front altar. I followed them up the stairs to take more photos then back tracked to the door they had exited. Was I suppose to go in there? I do not really know.... All I know is that I entered the room on the other side that turned out to be a room where the priests prepare for mass.

Doorway I entered through

Where the Holy water is brought from?

 I reluctantly left the Cathedral and on my way out saw a painting of the Virgin Mary and Jesus.

Leaving the cathedral I saw some more street views and I started wandering the city looking for more places to visit.

Street view with another church in the background.

Me with the Dom behind me

Building statue

Building statue #2

Franziskanerkirche (Franciscan Church; entrance free)

Since Salzburg was controlled by Prince Archbishops for many years there are many holy buildings in Salzburg. The Franciscan Church was another church that you could walk freely through.

History (provided by the church):

"The Church of Our Lady, dating back to the 8th century, was rebuilt in the 13th century and consecrated in 1221. Master Hans von Burghausen (Stethaimer) began the radiant gothic choir of the early 15th century. It was completed by Stefan Krumenauer. The 'Rosary' of chapels fromt he 17th century, high-altar (1709) by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. The Madonna on the late-gothic winged altar (1495-1498) is by Michael Pacher. On the pulpit staircase is a marble lion from the 12th century. ON the triumphal arch are some frescos by Conrad Laib. The church served as a parish church until 1635. In 1642 it was ceded to the order of St. Francis which was already established in 1583."

 Leaving the church I eventually found myself in a plaza that I realized led into the residence of the Prince Archbishops.


Residenz (Residence; admission 4 euros?)

Admission was 4 euros (if I remember correctly) and audio device was provided in English. There was a lot of information provided on the different rooms and I learned that Mozart had his first performance in one of the rooms.

While it was obvious that the Prince Archbishops lived in luxury that style of the rooms seemed remarkably similar (even with all the separate renovations done by the different Prince Archbishops). Lots of frescos and plaster work. Lots of paintings of Alexander the Great. Most of the original pieces of furniture that were left were the fancy clocks that were under plastic cases on the tables in the rooms.

Brief note on history from wiki:

"A spacious building first documented in 1120. It was rebuilt in the 15th and 16th centuries"

Corridor connecting the Residence to the Dom

One of the many tapestries in the Residence

Top of a table

 What I found the most interesting in the Residence was the private chapel for the Prince Archbishop that was in bedroom used when guests were visiting.

Private chapel

Gallery room

Of course a large statue in the middle of the gallery corridor

I emerged from the Residence exhibits somewhat tired but before I could descend the stairs that went back down to the plaza I noticed some stairs going up. I decided to drag my feet up the stairs which turned out to be a good decision.

Residenzgalerie (Residence gallery: fee 2.50 euros)

The fee of 2.50 euros was a special deal for the day since not all parts of the gallery were open (construction). However it was well worth it to visit the gallery.

The gallery was quite small and halfway through I learned that no photography was allowed (no signs up, told by one of the gallery people). However I have some photos fromt the first part of the gallery that I think you will enjoy.

'Portrait of a Girl' by Zeiler

'Still life with oysters, lemons and grapes' by C. De. Heem

'Genre Scene' by D J ffranck

'Resting after the hunt' by H V Balen

'Marktszene' by Joachim Beuckelaer

 After emerging from the beautiful gallery I started wandering the streets again this time with an eye out for some food.

Mozart Street Performer?

Me with street performer

I eventually stopped outside of a restaurant called Zipfer Bierhaus. After some ordering I sat back and enjoyed the fact that my feet were no longer moving.

My lemon radler (.3 L). Ended up having two of these.

My salad arrived....

A little bit of an interesting salad. Had potatoes, beans, and corn at the bottom.

And what is this?! IT IS THE FAMED KASNOCKEN! I had been quite determined to find it and probably looked at about 15 other restaurant menus (ranging from australian, indian, italian, etc.) before I finally found some Kasnocken.

Kasnocken is originally a German dish (a different name for it) but the Austrians took it and added tons of cheese to it. It usually comes with onions and sometimes bacon. In English it is referred to as 'cheese dumplings'. Traditionally it is cooked and served in a cast iron pan.

Good although not quite as fabulous as Stadtkrug's kasnocken. Might have something to do with the fact the pan isn't actually cast iron...

 After eating I probably sat for an additional half hour to digest and to contemplate eating in Austria. Before I came to Austria I read that one tips in Austria yet I have never witnessed anyone doing so here. Perhaps it is done so discreetly I haven't noticed? Or maybe it is included in the bill?

I left the restaurant feeling a little tipsy but well satisfied. Off to hunt down more sights!

Another street performer

Red bull (after the drink)

Pretty allyway

St. Blasius (free entrance)

Tired of churches yet? TOO BAD! Salzburg is filled with them and I made the requisite stop when I saw this church across the street.

History (provided by church):

"Built on the site of the former Admont Monastery chapel, for the people's hospital in 1327 (also called Church of the People's Hospital) the church was consecrated in 1350. During the first half of the 15th century the building was enlarged with three naves and choir. Feautres of special interest include the tabernacle (1481), righ altar-piece showing the adoration of the Magi by Paul Troger 1746, high-altar by Louis Grenier 1785 with crucifixion group by Franz Hitzl and the stained-glass paintings by Albert Birkle 1947/48."


The church was rather dark and the front of the church was closed off by an iron gate. The only really good photo I have is down below (the glass windows were hard to capture from a distance).

He also kissed my hand after I gave him some money

Back to the streets!

Another street performer

Mozarts Geburtshaus (Home where Mozart was born; entrance fee 9 euros)

I hadn't done any Mozart 'things' yet so I decided I would try the house where Mozart was born and lived for awhile when he was young. The building also contained somewhat of a Mozart museum. I found the entrance fee though to be overpriced in comparison to all the other places I had visited.

I did learn some things about Mozart. Such as information on his sister, father, and children. I also learned he fell in love with a woman who refused him and then later married that woman's sister (O_o). There were some rooms where photography was not allowed (museum people were sitting in those rooms with chairs). Some other rooms though were open to photography.

Plaque on Mozarts Geburtshaus

Room where Mozart lived with his family

View of courtyard from inside building

Finally admitting to exhaustion, I started heading back to the train station.

Goodbye Salzburg!

But is it really goodbye?!


St. Sebastian (free entrance)


Of course, another church. But since I was passing it on the north side of the river Salzach how could I not go in?

History (source: http://www.visit-salzburg.net/sights/stsebastian.htm ):

"St. Sebastian Church with the attached St. Sebastian′s Cemetery (Sebastiansfriedhof). Here you will find the Mozart family tomb as well as the Mausoleum of Prince Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau.

The nearby "Bruderhaus" and the "Bruderhof" served as a hospital and home for the aged from the 15th century onwards. The Sebastianskirche itself was built in 1512 after the Cathedral Cemetery was given up. The cemetery was older and initially created for poor people, people with leper and the victims of the plague, but gained new importance by this move.

The Sebastianskirche is mostly Baroque in style, built by Kassian Singer from 1749 to 1753, although it bears some Rococo elements in the decorations. A fire in 1818 destroyed most of the original interiors, including the altar painting and frescos on the ceiling by Paul Troger. Apart from the main altar, there are three side altars in the Sebastianskirche."

From the street

 St. Sebastian was another church where the front area of the church was closed off by iron gates. However I could take some photos through the bars.

Finally to the train station where I waited for about an hour for my train and did some people watching.

Me getting out my Mozartkruger (chocolate balls) that are sold everywhere in the city of Salzburg. You can get huge bags of them.

The inside of a Mozartkruger. And yes that is green you see in the middle. However there are no flavors to the different layors of chocolate, it is all simply regular milk chocolate even with the odd colors.

Front of Salzburg train station with large screens for train times and platforms.

View of mountains from train (Salzburg to Villach)

Thursday July 5th, 2012

I spent most of the day recovering from my trip to Salzburg as well as writing my Salzburg post. Some thunderstorms came in at about noon leaving most of the day very wet.

When I tried to upload this post something went, as they would say here, 'kaput' and I had to rewrite 3/4ths of the Salzburg post (continued work on it into Friday July 6th). Hopefully this will upload in its entirety this time :D Ciao!