Salzburg, Austria

Hohensalzburg Fortress towers over Salzburg

Unless you’ve been unable to do laundry for a sufficient period of time that you’ve considered beating your clothes on rocks in the river like its 500 BC, you can’t imagine how happy we were that our campground had working washing machines. We spent the remainder of the day doing laundry, sweating, and looking forward to the forecasted rain to cool off. Unfortunately, it didn’t arrive until we settled into bed. We were rudely awakened around 1 a.m. by water leaking onto us from above and spent at least an hour trying to track the source and stem the flow. Unsuccessful, we had to settle for catching drips using a collapsing sink. The droplets found new pathways waking us and requiring we place additional sundry containers under each throughout the night. The next morning we called several Bürstner service centers and having found none within 75 kilometers that could fit us in within a week, we resorted to a nearby motorhome repair place that could fit us in the following morning.

Click here for our photos, (i) for information.

That afternoon, we followed the Rick Steves’ audio tour of Salzburg. I never associated “The Sound of Music,” with Salzburg but you frequently trip across the paths of the Von Trapps - the movie version anyway. I’ll make notations on the photos but if you want to delve deeper, download the Rick Steves’ Audio App and listen to his Salzburg Walk as you look through our photos and you’ll have a ton of the information I’m too lazy to write. If you’re familiar with Mozart, you know this is his birthplace and where he also lived but he grew to hate it when he was snubbed and we didn’t feel compelled to visit any Mozart attractions. There’s also much for classical music lovers here between the festivals and many concerts. We even heard a woman taking full advantage of the acoustics under an arcade singing opera beautifully with only a hat in front of her. 

Here are some random impressions: Salzburg has a lot to like: a cool fortress high atop a cliff looming over the city; a river with safe bike paths on both sides; great public transportation; lots of parks; interesting historical buildings and museums as well as modern conveniences. You could dodge from one street to another through very old stone arch alleyways where ancient metal doors were directly across from glass display windows with modern paintings used as backdrops for trendy clothing lines. The juxtaposition of the old and historic with the new and chic was delightful. Each somehow renewed your appreciation for the other. 

Q: So what’s not to like? A: There were too many tourists! I know, its high season. We need to stop traveling in high season. 

The following morning we took pains to arrive ahead of our 8:00 service appointment, handed over the keys, and headed into town for breakfast. Hohensalzberg Fortress was the perfect place to forget about our van worries and delve into the past. Construction began in 1077 and the fortress was so foreboding, nobody attacked the town for over 800 years. There was even an Irish connection: St. Virgil was an Irish missionary who built the first Salzburg Cathedral then served as Bishop (749-784) and became patron saint of Salzburg.

We weren’t surprised when the mechanic explained the leak was due to the AC unit not being sealed correctly but were surprised the repair cost $758. As we drove back to the campsite, we were pulled over by a large contingent of Polizei. They asked for our passports, drivers license and vehicle registration. Dermot was in the clear but I had left my passport at the campground at their request which we had done at quite a few other campgrounds. I did have my Passport Card with me but the very polite officer explained that he wasn’t able to check the stamps on the passport to verify I hadn’t exceeded my 90 day visa. He asked how far we were from the campground and explained that had we been far, they could have detained me until the passport could be provided. He proposed that he and another officer follow us back to the campground and we readily agreed. We laughed on the way imagining how unhappy the campground owners would be that their insistence on cash payment (probably a tax dodge) would lead to the police telling them how their practice was interfering with police business. 

After verifying my passport stamps; calculating I had not overstayed my visa; and a relatively lengthy discussion with the campground personnel; the friendly police officers apologized for taking so much of our time and wished us a safe and enjoyable trip. We remarked to each other that the nicest people in Austria are its Polizei. So lesson learned - don’t let anyone keep your passport. 

The following day the weather was perfect for biking and we headed out with no plan other than to ride along the river to the City and back. Along the way we glimpsed a lovely park and decided to explore further. Wouldn’t you know, it was Mirabell Gardens and yet another chance encounter with places that were featured in “The Sound of Music” (as noted on the photos). We’d have liked to hike the route taken by the Von Trapps to escape the Nazis but that’s pure fiction. The real Von Trapps just went to the station at the edge of their estate and took a train to Italy. Much less entertaining than the ruse with the performance, hiding in the cemetery, nuns pulling a distributor cap, and climbing every mountain but that’s Hollywood for you.

Next Stops: Munich, Nuremberg, Rothenberg ob der Tauber