Austria

Salzburg, moreso than Zurich, is tucked in the middle of several mountains. It is a very picturesque location. Like Vienna, they also have a fixation on Mozart. And of course, the Sound of Music. Need I say more.

I did a walking tour through the city, which is quite compact. I was really looking forward to seeing Schloss Mirabelle, the palace made for the mistress of the ruling Archbishop, but it was slightly less climactic than I was expecting, although perhaps I have become snobby after seeing so many other beautiful palaces.

Afterwards, I visited the centuries old Fortress which looms over the city. A guided tour took us through the salt storing room(whooo!), the torture chamber(where no one was actually tortured, just where they stored shackles) and up the lookout tower, which gave a phenomenal view over the city, and the mountain ranges. Really amazing.

An interest component of the fortress was that one of the ruling Archbishops who had a major hand in expanding the fortress left his family crest all over the palace. While this is not all that strange, it is strange that the symbol on the crest is a turnip. So if you look closely, you can see little turnips everywhere. I thought it was funny...

This morning I took a series of subways to Schonbrunn Palace, which is not too far outside of the city centre. I toured the apartments that were once home to the Habsburgs(aka Marie Antoinette), and even to Napoleon for a short while. While the front of the Palace is not all that pretty, the back rivals any palace in Europe. Behind the Palace stretches out with several acres of gardens, fountains, a Maze and even a Zoo.

About a a kilometer behind the Palace is Gloriette, a mostly glass and concrete structure that sits on the top of a hill. To get to Gloriette, you have to walk up a fairly steep slope. Fortunately, although its been very sunny today, there is a lovely cool breeze which helps to keep the temperature down. From the top of the Gloriette, there are really phenomenal views of the gardens, the Palace, and the city beyond. It was definitely worth the hike.

After the Schonbrunn Palace, I took the subway back into the city centre to check out the Belvedere Palace, which has been transformed into a Museum. It was really lovely.

For dinner I headed down to the Rathaus(City Hall). Throughout the summer, they have a film festival going on, accompanied by several outdoor food stalls, with a multicultural theme. I ate 'Australian' food. Random fact: the USA stand only served coca cola...

Only two more travel days left and I still have cash!

I arrived in Vienna this afternoon after an excruciatingly long train ride. It was also excruciatingly cold, which was a shock to my system after yesterdays sweltering heat. It has been cold, windy and rainy for most of the day. Hopefully it will warm up tomorrow.

I decided that I would visit Schonbrunn Palace on my second day, which meant that I had to cram as much sightseeing as humanly possibly on my first day. I did a walking tour around the Parliament, City Hall, several churches, Hofburg Palaces, and several museums. Of note was the Holocaust Memorial at the site of the former Jewish Ghetto, which is essential a giant concrete crypt. Its sparse, but it definitely makes a statement.

Stephansdom is a massive church, with a wicked roof, but the interior is not as interesting as St Peters or the Church of the Jesuits, which is a fairly impressive Baroque church on the inside, with the most non-descript exterior imaginable.

Although the weather could have been better, I had a very nice first day in Vienna.