Our second to last stop on our trip was Salzburg, the little city and UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its charming old city center and the expansive fortress looming high above town. It was a really neat place to see. Salzburg stands in contrast to Vienna (the city we were coming from). In Salzburg, nearly everything seems super old, whereas in Vienna the city is relatively "new" since it was basically rebuilt in the 1800s. In Salzburg it was not uncommon for me to see buildings with an inscription saying it was built in the 1300s. Also unlike Vienna, (and every other city we visited) Salzburg did not have a subway or tram network. Just buses. But then again, it was also the smallest city we saw, with a population of only about 150,000. Because the old town is so compact, it is very easy to get anywhere you want by foot. A nice bonus was that we got to see the Alps! Salzburg was the only city we visited that wasn't located on flat land (with the exception of Prague, maybe, which is pretty hilly).1 The old city center with its castle looming in the background. The name Salzburg actually literally translates to "Salt Castle" in German... I think it sounds a lot better in German than it does English!2 A view from the gardens of the Mirabell Palace, across the river from the castle and city center4 Walking away from Mirabell Palace, to Linzer Gasse, the main drag on the north side of the river5 an old church6 Linzer Gasse7 One thing we quickly noticed was how every shop had a cool sign hanging outside of it9 Climbing up a big hill to get a nice view of the city10 looking out over Linzer Gasse1112 That wall is actually part of the old fortifications around the city1314 We go back down the hill and find a cool old cemetery to wander around.15 I am pretty sure those are all tombstones on the left; people are actually buried under the floor here16171819 the church:20 off the beaten track:21 a cool old ancient alley near the river:222324 Now on the other side of the river, or the "main" side as I think of it - this is where mostly everything is, including, yes, Mozart's Birth House:2526 It was raining27 The tower in the back is the City Hall28 The "Residenzgalerie"29303132 The Salzburg Cathedral - the cities largest, and grandest church...33 inside...34353637383940 now, on our way up to the castle:41 no, we won't WALK all the way up there...42 ...we'll take the funicular!43 The first of many great viewpoints we'll see at the castle:444546 Salzburg, a long time ago47 Part of the King's Quarters inside the castle:48 The gold buttons on the ceilings are supposed to resemble stars:49 I loved these giant wood beams!50 a cool little model showing how they built the fortress:51 This hulking thing was used to heat the room. Hey, if you're gonna have something so huge and imposing, might as well make it beautiful, right?52 watch out for these guys:53 This was interesting - these are Roman ruins discovered underneath the castle during restoration work in the '90s.54 cannons... coool5556 like I said - mountains!57 I didn't notice this until after I took the picture, but I think its cool how the gables in the roof mimic the peaks of the mountains, kinda. I wonder if thats what they had in mind when they were building it so many hundreds of years ago? Probably not, but perhaps.585960 castle-y61 This place was like a smaller Prague Castle - smaller and less extravagant.6263646566 Salzburg has the best of both worlds - a great city and the great outdoors just a short car ride away6768 Taking the funicular back down!6970 craziness back in town:71 um, huh?72 We find some solitude in another old cemetery. This one is obviously a pretty big tourist attraction, since all the graves are meticulously maintained:73747576 The "Franziskanerkirche"777879 The "Salzburger Residenz" again8081 The city hall again, on a less rainy day:82 inside some quirky shop. They had swords:83 haha, get it?848586 Houses built into the cliffs!87 traffic jam:8889 Fancy hotel on the north side of the river:909192 signs!9394 Lastly is Hellbrunn Palace , just 30 minutes out of the city by bus. It is known for its "Wasserspiele" ,or trick fountains. Warning - If you take the tour, you WILL get wet!9596 It was actually a pretty modest palace - most rooms were just painted white. This is one of only 3 rooms that were elaborately painted:97 To me, the grounds and the Wasserspiele were more impressive than the palace itself. I didn't get any pictures of the Wasserspiele because I was afraid of my camera getting wet:9899 We took a small hike up to that yellow house on the hill (which is actually a small museum)...100 Unfortunately, the museum was closed... but there were some great views!101102103 After a grueling bus ride during rush hour and filled past capacity (due to the fact that the bus only runs once every 20 minutes or so and there were a lot of people waiting for it at Helbrunn) we finally arrive back in town!104 The city at sunset:105106 And that's Salzburg!Next (and last): München (Munich)!