So after the ride to the top of the mountain I had to race back to my hotel for my stuff, and get to the train station to begin my month long adventure in Austria…just kidding, but I did spend 2 nights in Salzburg, Austria, which is very close to the border between the 2 countries. I arrived late at night, and my main mistake was underestimating the distance bewtween my hostel and the train station, looked like an easy 20-30 mins walk tops…actually turned out to be 90 minutes…with my backpack, and overly heavy bag with broken handle, loaded with souvenirs. It was a very charming city, which overall was more fun than I thought it would be, especially with Festung Hohensalzburg, a massive fortress high on a hill in the middle of the city which you can see from all over the city. On the way to my first stop there were lots of people in bright green shirts going up to people wanting to talk about the environment. Anyways the morning started with a trip to St. Sebastian’s Church/cemetery. The church was nothing special, but the cemetery was much more ‘morbid’ than the previous ones, here, the tombs are loaded with art depicting skulls, bones, and one which has an emaciated figure representing death itself holding an hourglass, who looked more like a whithered rotten creature from beyond. Several had skulls with bat wings, and one with a skull with a snake crawling through it, pictured below. Halloween anyone?

Next I saw the Salzburg cathedral which was nice, but I didn’t go inside. Also the was some weird demonstration of some people dressed as fruits and some in monster outfits who wee chasing the fruits, it was some strange enviromental awareness thing. Lots this stuff going on it seems. Next on the to do list was Stiftsbäckerei St. Peter. Salzburg’s oldest bakery which has been there for more than 700 years, still using the old wood oven…and plenty of modern machinery as well. I got a tasty bread roll and went to the nearby cemetery which has catacombs built high up in the vertical cliffside. Turned out to be not as cool as I thought, but still neat.

Next was a random horse fountain. It is a pool of water with a big horse statue in the middle.

Next! I went up to the Salzburg castle which gives wide panoramic views of the city below. Started in the early early 11th century it was used as a defensive fortress first. Then a few hundred years later as a residence for the Archbishops, who back in the day were often more warlords and conquerors than people of peace. Then a few hundred years later as a prison, then a few hundred years later as a pretty sweet tourist attraction. I also must commend Salzburg for having not one, but 2 drinking fountains! So far this entire trip I have only found 3 drinking fountains, 2 of them being in Salzburg, though one here and the other in Dresden are more art displays than anything. For some reason the Germans find tap water repulsive, even in restaurants. It is perfectly safe to drink and tastes fine, they just do not like the idea of ‘gross underground pipewater’. You’ll literally get stares if you order tap water in places. But obviously it was nice to fill up my water bottle.

Also I more or less accidently stumbled on both the birthplace and home of Mozart, (2 different buildings).

At the end of the end of the day I went to the train station to get some connection info to a few other stops I wanted to do, when BAM!! Syrians out of nowhere. There were lots, maybe 100 or so huddled together behind a barricade surrounded by police and medical personnel.

Overall a very fun day, a bit of shopping and exploring and the like.
The only other things I would like to have done in Austria are going to the Mauthausen-Gusen Concentation Camp, or as I call it Camp Cruelty, one of the worst ones a person could be sent to. Another the amazing beautiful lakeside town of Hallstatt, and Eisriesenwelt, the worlds largest explorable ice cave. But all 3 are fairly spread out through Austria and there is really nothing else in any of those to spend that many extra days there…oh well.
I am still overly happy. Next stop…the town whose name nobody can pronounce properly. Find out in where in the next edition of…Jon’s! Journey! Through! Germany! After this commercial break.