July 15 – Salzburg

Today we docked in a small town down river from Passau, Germany, where we boarded a bus that took us on a whole day trip to Salzburg, Austria. Susie and I were in Salzburg in 1971 and didn’t expect many changes, although we did notice a McDonalds which definitely was not there on that visit. The first part of our visit involved a guided tour of the historic Old City. A lot of people relate the movie, “The Sound of Music,” to Salzburg. The tour guide made minimal references to the movie… the locals don’t want to be associated with it. After that tour, we were on our own and wandered around the town.

The Old City viewed from across the Salzach River
Mirabell Gardens
Pegasus Sculpture in Mirabell Gardens
The Hohensalzburg Fortress, as seen from Mirabell Gardens
A couple heading to the Registry for their wedding. Pictures are taken in the gardens afterward.
Mozart’s birthplace is on the fourth floor
These are bell pulls that ring a bell in the kitchens. You can see the wires in the picture, above.
One of several alleys containing shops
Yes… McDonald’s is here, but the golden arches are tiny and are in the wreath hanging on the sign. See closeup below
It is not hard to identify the product sold in this store.
Old Market Place Plaza
One of the historic buildings in the market plaza. Note the date of construction at the top.
The Salzburg Cathedral
The Rezidence… The Bishop’s Palace

The Fortress Dominates the Rezidence Plaza
We didn’t have enough time to get up to the fortress before we had to be at the bus stop
A sign in the Rezidence plaza commemorating a Nazi book burning
The 1823 quote by Heinrich Heine loosely translated states,
“This is only an appetizer
When Man burns books
In the end Man will also burn People.”

We boarded the bus for the trip to Passau and the official end of the cruise. All of us have to be to be off the ship by Monday, July 18th. Most of the crew will be unemployed and have to return to their homes.