Salzburg, Austria - July 30, 2006

Being the luckiest kid in the whole wide world and with the help of two of my most generous friends - Patricia and Christian - I got to spend my birthday in Salzburg, Austria, just a short trip down the autobahn (pending on traffic of course) from Munich.

Austrians aka Master Gnomes have done some extensive burrowing in the hills and mountains surrounding Salzburg. This is one such example and Christian's car was consumed somewhere in the belly of this rocky beast.

Salzburg's main street / shopping district is packed with tourists and expensive shops with nothing good to sell.

Mozart's House and Museum. We elected not to pay the euros to enter, citing the fact that Mozart left Salzburg as quickly as he could and perhaps he was on to something. I made up for it by indulging in "Mozart Balls" later.

Cute tightly-encircled offshoot of the mainstreet selling all kinds of worthless tourist gadgets and whatnots. I swear that the man or woman that devises an actually interesting semi-historical/cultrual knicknack to sell will make millions in these countries.

The best part of Europe - the open-air cafes / restaurants (without the obligatory fencing required in Canada due to our totalitarian liquor laws). Not to mention such establishments require the presence of beautiful squares and plazas which are not part of the North American urban grid.

Contrasting colours mark the back of Mozart's house which backs onto the square.

The clocktower - probably part of the city hall - manages to squeak between the buildings of the narrow streets of Salzburg.

The Catholic Dom. A "Dom" is the church of churches - the capital church so to speak - which is built for an officer of Rome. The Archbishop of Salzburg ordered this constructed over a thousand years ago - although it was constantly rebuilt and renovated over the past millenium.

Yet another bizarre equestrian fountain/monument. Austrians apparently have a keen horse fetish or otherwise liken themselves to the knights of Rohan characters from Lord of the Rings. Besides fountains and statues the only horses I saw in the city were pulling chubby tourists around in the horse-and-buggies that are common wherever tourists are present.

Inside the Dom
Probably them most beautiful church I ever saw - will ever see. The bone white interior combined with the vibrant stories-in-pictures from the bible created a stunning scene when illuminated by the natural light that made the interior positively shine.

The entrance to the catacombs chapel beneath the floor of the Dom. A truly creepy experience, in perfect opposition to the one above. Needless to say I snapped a photo and then ran out.

A medieval rooftop - I liked it so I took the picture.

A religious dude guards the Dom.

Lunch time in Salzburg with Salzburg Nockerl for dessert. This tasty egg & sugar souffle is topped with some fresh berry sauce - yum. This local delicacy cannot be stored and must be prepared individually for each order. As it takes over 30 minutes to prepare we ordered it with our meal and after a slight wait it was served after lunch. I'm not sure which recipe the restaurant used but I found one here while searching for the spelling of the name: http://www.visit-salzburg.net/dining/desserts.htm

Salzburg from on high - atop the Fortress Hohensalzburg, built in 1077 to protect troops of the Holy Roman Empire and the city below.

Christian and I prepare to fire the cannon on Captain Jack Sparrow's maurading pirate ship. Unfortunately Christian lost his 'balls' and we had to surrender.

The chapel with sect crest in the inner court of the fortress - which was surprisingly large enough to house a small village in case of siege.

Back on the ground floor of the city we stroll past this cafe - made famous by Mozart, as is everything in this city, and now a tourist hotspot (food prices reflect this, naturally).

Salzburg and its fortress from the north bank of the Salzach river.

Mirabellbezirk

Schloss Mirabell and the Mirabellgarten seems a popular place for a Sunday afternoon stroll - complete this particular Sunday with a music group pounding out some rocking covers of American songs for no apparent reason. It clashed a bit with the sereneness of the landscape - oh well.

Flowers abound in the Mirabellgarten.

The Mirabellgarten fountain proves an excellent centrepiece to frame both the garden and Salzburg in the background.

A little less well manicured but more colourful.

Another equestrian statue - this one with wings - attempts to soar above the intricate flower weave.

Fin