What a day to remember!I've always loved Salzburg, town of Mozart and lovely old churches, with a fortress on a hilltop right in the middle of town! Add a river running through it, lots of chocolate, world famous music festivals, and you have a wonderful concoction.
We arrived in our van nice and early, before the rest of the crowds. We drove right in, because the traffic barriers were up, and parked in a prime spot on Mozartplatz. If you could see right through the statue in the picture, you'd see our van.
After a lovely walking tour (I'll tell you later) and a crazy tram ride to the top of the fortress, (picture left) we returned to the van and tried to leave, but the barriers were up, which are metal posts that rise up from the center of the pavement. So we tried to exit the historic core of the city by driving down tiny little streets until they got so narrow we could barely fit through. Every time, we arrived at another traffic barrier.
We we had to return each time to Mozart- platz. Finally we saw several other cars approach the barrier and punch in a code. The barrier retracted, and they left. I talked to several drivers. It seems that the code is specific to the car, so their code could not help us. A man said it would cost us 100 euros to get out. Oh my! We certainly didn't want to pay 100 euros! Apparently we had parked illegally in the old city. Only authorized vehicles are allowed. After asking several other people for help, I found that everyone thought we would have to pay the fine in order to get out. Furthermore, we would have to go to the police station blocks away and pay the fine first!
So I grabbed our trusty handicapped parking sign, left the people with the van, and ran off on foot to the police station. Inside was a secure area, and I had to buzz to get someone to come. When I explained the situation, the lady officer said that indeed, I would have to pay the 100 euro fine. Then I showed the handicapped pass, and everything changed. Evidently it is permissible for handicapped vehicles to park there. "Oh, just drive your car over here by the station, and I'll open this barrier for you to get out." I was temporarily stupefied. How in the world could we drive our huge 9-passenger van through those tiny winding medieval streets all the way to the police station? Eventually I persuaded her to mark out a route on a map that would not get us wedged in permanently.
I returned to the van with my marked map. There was much relief all around! We cheerfully drove the van right through the pedestrian areas, complete with crowds of people and a few shaking fists, eventually coming to the back of the police station right past Mozart's birthplace! (Yellow house in the picture) True to plan, I ran back into the police station and they opened the barrier for us. We were free, with a story to tell forever!
Other Salzburg highlights: there is a slanted cog rail that lifts you up to the fortress in the middle of the town. It really is as steep as it looks in the picture!
We listened to quite a few street musicians, which I love doing.
Lawana and I found a shop selling traditional German clothing. The work- manship was exquisite, but the prices ranged upward from $800- $2000. I did not buy any.
We had fun in the marionette museum in the top of the fortress. There was also a cool exhibit of old musical instru- ments.
When we left Salzburg, there was still plenty of daylight left, so we decided to take a detour past the original church where "Silent Night" was first written.
It's tiny! No wonder they could accompany it with a guitar for the first performance. We discovered that this church is a replica, as the original was destroyed by a flood. We walked up the nearby riverbank, and discovered it makes a sharp U-turn there. When the river reached flood stage, it all poured directly over the church. The replacement was built on a mound.
Dinner was right next door, in a little outdoor cafe. I had an elaborate dessert for dinner, which everyone thought was weird, but I really enjoyed it. Hey, life is short, so eat dessert first!
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