Day 6: Salzburg and Berchtestgaden
I finally had a good night sleep after that brutal early morning train to Munich. I only got 4.5 to 5 hrs if sleep but woke up feeling surprisingly refreshed.
We caught the 8:04am train from Munich to Salzburg. It's about a 2 hr train ride. I had watched a rick Steve's episode on Salzburg and written down some notes and looked some things before we left so I felt a little more prepared for today than other days where I had barely looked up the city. I have seriously done NO prep work for this trip. I wish I would have been more prepared. I guess watching a travel show or two is better than nothing! We still had to figure out the local buses to get from the train station to the old town. With the help of the ticket agent and a free map it wasn't too hard but it still takes some time.
We started in the Residentzplatz where we wandered through the cobblestone streets until we came to the funicular up to the fortress above the city: Hohensalzburg. It was like a whole other city up there. It was so fun to wander around and take in the amazing views at every turn. There are churches everywhere! There is a museum and plenty of rooms and artifacts to see at the fortress and it was beautiful and pretty interesting.
On our way back down to the old town, we walked through St. Peter's cemetery. I'd learned about it in Rick Steve's Salzburg episode but I didn't actually look for it. We just happened to see this quiet little closed door off to the side of the cobblestone street. If someone hadn't opened it right when we walked past I would've assumed it was private and you weren't allowed to go in if I even noticed it at all. I was curious so I walked over and opened the door myself and we found this beautiful little spot. They actually rent the cemetery plots and send a bill about every ten years. When the bill goes unpaid, they remove the headstone and put it up on the wall (maybe that's just the wealthy?) and the gravesite goes to another customer. The graves have a little border and then are filled with beautiful flowers that are carefully tended by family and friends. It was very quaint and beautiful. Jason and I climbed up to the catacombs where we had a beautiful view if St. Peter's church and cemetery.
We wandered some more and heard music coming from somewhere. We followed the sound of the accordion and found a trio of street musicians performing a lively new twist on some traditional Bavarian music. We sat in the shade and listened for a while. It was lovely.
Next we searched for a place to have lunch. We asked a local guide dressed in lederhosen and she recommended the Golden Kleugel. We took a few wrong turns and poor mom had to walk quite a distance but we stopped in a few shops to break up the walk. I bought a few Christmas ornaments for our "travel tree". Jason bought a t shirt. The wait was worth it. It was a local little street cafe. We ate outside in the shady, cobblestone street. We dined on different sausages and had apfel streudel with a vanilla Bavarian cream sauce for dessert. They had free wifi so I got to face time with Jeff and see his handsome (unshaven in protest of my absence) face and show him a view of my little Salzburg cafe. I miss him so much it hurts. I've been a little homesick over the past few days. We've never been apart this long and it is painful for me. He is my best friend. I don't know what I would ever do without him.
After a little more wandering and a long walk to find the right bus stop to get back to the bahnhof (sorry mom!) we boarded the train again. We decided to do a detour to Berchtesgaden on the way home. (Another train station, another transfer, another 50 minute train ride). I have to say, it was probably some of the most stunning mountains I have ever seen. It was so beautiful and we has great views through the large train windows. Any picture through a train window just wouldn't do it justice. The mountains just shot straight up from the lush, green, valley floor. Cows were scattered in fields that looked like golf courses. Bike paths meandered through the green fields and the unusually tall evergreen trees. Little Bavarian chalets draped in overflowing flower boxes of every color were tucked into the hillside. And then there were still quaint little towns filled with simple but quaint hostels, hotels and restaurants. We were disappointed when the national park bus loop and most everything else was closed for the day so we boarded the train again and enjoyed the view again on the way back. I will have to go back there again someday and hike and bike those trails!
Now we are riding the train from Freilassen back to Munich (another 1.5 hrs). It is totally packed. Standing room only. Luckily we got seats but are scattered around the train sitting with strangers. Normally I've talked to the strangers sitting next to me but I'm being totally anti social this time, sitting with my headphones in and typing this up. I've actually really enjoyed talking to new people on the trains and busses, pretending to have Jeff's people skills that I have watched over the last 17 years. I'm no Jeff, but it's been fun and interesting to meet people with such different backgrounds. The language barrier has been more difficult than I anticipated. I've mostly traveled to Spanish speaking countries where I can read and understand enough to get by and communicate a little (plus I'm with Jeff who is fluent). Here I don't know anything. People have tried to talk to me and I can only smile and say sorry. It's awkward. I really think next time I travel I will make more of an effort to learn some of the language. It feels arrogant to assume everyone will accommodate me with English.
We caught the 8:04am train from Munich to Salzburg. It's about a 2 hr train ride. I had watched a rick Steve's episode on Salzburg and written down some notes and looked some things before we left so I felt a little more prepared for today than other days where I had barely looked up the city. I have seriously done NO prep work for this trip. I wish I would have been more prepared. I guess watching a travel show or two is better than nothing! We still had to figure out the local buses to get from the train station to the old town. With the help of the ticket agent and a free map it wasn't too hard but it still takes some time.
We started in the Residentzplatz where we wandered through the cobblestone streets until we came to the funicular up to the fortress above the city: Hohensalzburg. It was like a whole other city up there. It was so fun to wander around and take in the amazing views at every turn. There are churches everywhere! There is a museum and plenty of rooms and artifacts to see at the fortress and it was beautiful and pretty interesting.
On our way back down to the old town, we walked through St. Peter's cemetery. I'd learned about it in Rick Steve's Salzburg episode but I didn't actually look for it. We just happened to see this quiet little closed door off to the side of the cobblestone street. If someone hadn't opened it right when we walked past I would've assumed it was private and you weren't allowed to go in if I even noticed it at all. I was curious so I walked over and opened the door myself and we found this beautiful little spot. They actually rent the cemetery plots and send a bill about every ten years. When the bill goes unpaid, they remove the headstone and put it up on the wall (maybe that's just the wealthy?) and the gravesite goes to another customer. The graves have a little border and then are filled with beautiful flowers that are carefully tended by family and friends. It was very quaint and beautiful. Jason and I climbed up to the catacombs where we had a beautiful view if St. Peter's church and cemetery.
We wandered some more and heard music coming from somewhere. We followed the sound of the accordion and found a trio of street musicians performing a lively new twist on some traditional Bavarian music. We sat in the shade and listened for a while. It was lovely.
Next we searched for a place to have lunch. We asked a local guide dressed in lederhosen and she recommended the Golden Kleugel. We took a few wrong turns and poor mom had to walk quite a distance but we stopped in a few shops to break up the walk. I bought a few Christmas ornaments for our "travel tree". Jason bought a t shirt. The wait was worth it. It was a local little street cafe. We ate outside in the shady, cobblestone street. We dined on different sausages and had apfel streudel with a vanilla Bavarian cream sauce for dessert. They had free wifi so I got to face time with Jeff and see his handsome (unshaven in protest of my absence) face and show him a view of my little Salzburg cafe. I miss him so much it hurts. I've been a little homesick over the past few days. We've never been apart this long and it is painful for me. He is my best friend. I don't know what I would ever do without him.
After a little more wandering and a long walk to find the right bus stop to get back to the bahnhof (sorry mom!) we boarded the train again. We decided to do a detour to Berchtesgaden on the way home. (Another train station, another transfer, another 50 minute train ride). I have to say, it was probably some of the most stunning mountains I have ever seen. It was so beautiful and we has great views through the large train windows. Any picture through a train window just wouldn't do it justice. The mountains just shot straight up from the lush, green, valley floor. Cows were scattered in fields that looked like golf courses. Bike paths meandered through the green fields and the unusually tall evergreen trees. Little Bavarian chalets draped in overflowing flower boxes of every color were tucked into the hillside. And then there were still quaint little towns filled with simple but quaint hostels, hotels and restaurants. We were disappointed when the national park bus loop and most everything else was closed for the day so we boarded the train again and enjoyed the view again on the way back. I will have to go back there again someday and hike and bike those trails!
Now we are riding the train from Freilassen back to Munich (another 1.5 hrs). It is totally packed. Standing room only. Luckily we got seats but are scattered around the train sitting with strangers. Normally I've talked to the strangers sitting next to me but I'm being totally anti social this time, sitting with my headphones in and typing this up. I've actually really enjoyed talking to new people on the trains and busses, pretending to have Jeff's people skills that I have watched over the last 17 years. I'm no Jeff, but it's been fun and interesting to meet people with such different backgrounds. The language barrier has been more difficult than I anticipated. I've mostly traveled to Spanish speaking countries where I can read and understand enough to get by and communicate a little (plus I'm with Jeff who is fluent). Here I don't know anything. People have tried to talk to me and I can only smile and say sorry. It's awkward. I really think next time I travel I will make more of an effort to learn some of the language. It feels arrogant to assume everyone will accommodate me with English.
Comments
Post a Comment