On to Salzburg

On our way to Salzburg we drove  along the banks of the Danube through the picturesque Wachau Valley, stopping along the way in Durnstein, a cute small town along the river known for its apricots and apricot products. I had read an article in the New York Times and was eager to try some of their products.

Entire shops were filled with nectars, spirits, candies, jams, soaps, etc. We bought some dried apricots and chocolate covered apricots to eat in the car, and I wished we could bring home more products but everything bought has to be carried again and again. Sigh.

In Salzburg, the old town is divided by the river. We were housed in the older part and were surrounded by quaint little streets with shops, cafes, and historical buildings winding around plazas.

The shops, cafes, etc. all had beautiful old signs that hung out over the walking street. I couldn't resist taking a picture of this particular restaurant's sign. Don't the golden arches just follow you everywhere! Just down the street from our hotel was the house where Mozart was born which would have been hard to miss except for the throngs of tourists photographing it.

Our tour that morning took us all through both parts of town. One particularly memorable site was a graveyard on the St. Peter's Monastery property where plots are rented, and cared for, by families of the deceased. They wind along walking paths and are beautifully planted, the whole area looking like little gardens.  The plots are rented by the monks to the families and when a family ceases to pay the rent the contents are removed and the plot rented to another party.

 On the other side of the river in the newer 'old' section, we enjoyed Mirabelle Gardens, site of one of the scenes in The Sound of Music. The movie was filmed in and around Salzburg. Our last evening we attended a very nice Mozart dinner and concert.