Thursday, Oct 6
Friday, Oct 7
Saturday, Oct 8
Sunday, Oct 9
Monday, Oct 10
Tuesday, Oct 11
Wednesday, Oct 12
Thursday, Oct 13
Friday, Oct 14
Saturday, Oct 15
Sunday, Oct 16
Monday, Oct 17
Tuesday, Oct 18
Wednesday, Oct 19
Thursday, Oct. 20
Saturday, Oct 15 - Exploring Salzburg, Austria
We walked to the old part of town again, and did some shopping. I got a lamb’s wool sweater, two bears for Benita, and some chocolate musket balls from Fürst’s for all the kids. Also got two Christmas ornaments that depict Salzburg. All down the Getreidegasse, they were having a Saturday market. So much food, fruit, meat, sausage, bread! We ate lunch at a brat stand – got two spicy Krainer brats with mustard and grated fresh horseradish, along with a soft pretzel.
We saw Mozart’s birthplace at No. 9 Getreidegasse, which is now a chocolate shop.
Listened to some Mongolian musicians who were doing something called “overtone” or laryngeal singing. One guy managed to sound like he was whistling in two tones, and the other was making this weird, deep guttural sound.
Toured the cathedral, a quintessential example of upper European baroque architecture and design. Spent some time at the Bio-Fest, a sort of seasonal festival held in Capital Square, with food, music, and hay for the kids to play on. There was a cow made out of hay that had an operating utter so the kids could give it a try.
Dropped off our parcels at the hotel, then walked down to Schloss Mirabell, where there were gorgeous flower gardens. There was also a rather odd “dwarf garden,” full of grotesque statues of dwarves doing various things. Made for some great photos. On the way back to the hotel, we wandered through the St. Sebastian cemetery, which dates from the 15th century and contains the graves of Mozart’s father Leopold, and of his wife Constanze.
Ate dinner at the Alter Fuchs again. I had Apfelstrüdel for dessert – have to in Austria, after all – and I wasn’t disappointed! Our waiter was probably 14 or 15 years old (serving up beer), and he was fluent in both German and English. “Do you have any more wishes?” he said at one point, as if he were a lamp genie.
Next time we visit here, we’d like to see some of the Alpine countryside, but that’ll mean renting a car. It had gotten a bit nippy and the leaves were all turning. At the hotel I used a German computer keyboard, which was interesting. The Z and Y were switched, and there were umlaut letters where the apostrophes and slashes should have been.
Eingang = entrance. Ausgang = exit. Danke schön = thank you very much. Bitte schön = you’re welcome. Zug = train. WC (pronounced “Vay-Tsay”) = restroom. Europeans, Italians and Austrians alike all write their number ones with a curvy stem to the left.
