Climb Every Mountain

The grand, cosmopolitan nature of Vienna was one side of Austria; Salzburg feels like Vienna's little country sister -- less worldly, gentler, more traditionally Austrian.

These traditional clothes are not costumes, but everyday wear for some

            For kids too

  The horse-drawn carts are more modest (the man following behind is the horse-shit-picker-upper)

                                 The cart drivers dress more traditionally

              Me, arriving in my Salzburg hotel room

I am traveling through the next series of cities more quickly, so I carefully mapped out a walking route for my entire first day, to see as many of the sights as possible. I got lost for two straight hours, so I just roamed.

           These two unicorns are laughing because they know they look silly in the snow

                        Everyone loves the Salzburg flying Pegasus 

Hmmm...a gigantic gold ball with a statue of a man in shirtsleeves standing on top

I took a closeup to see if I could tell what he's thinking. I think he's wondering if he should climb that massive, looming fort in the distance, rising up like something out of a fairytale.

Having climbed several mountains thus far on my trip, I think I'm beginning to understand the "because it's there" concept of mountain climbing. I think I must be getting "Sound of Music" vibes.

Click here for a beautiful rendition of "Climb Every Mountain":    http://youtu.be/HkJNaTQgjKM

There's a funicular that goes up, but no....I decided to walk. 

                      This is the easy way up to the Salzburg Fortress, which I decline

It snowed all night & today too...big, soft, lazy flakes....Salzburg has turned itself into a storybook town. 

                   Up stairs & paths......

       Through mysterious tunnels....

                  The reward for reaching the top on a snowy winter day...

Marionettes are popular in Austria. There's a marionette theater in Salzburg that performs "Sound of Music." There is also a marionette museum & it happens to be at the top of this mountain, inside the fort, with puppets from the 1940s. Most were from shows based on operas.

                    Don Quixote & crew

    From "Midsummer's Night Dream"

                       Mephisto

                          Salome

                    A large diorama that is a very accurate depiction of Salzburg 

                                                   The upper crust

There's a restaurant up there too, so I stopped for a traditional Austrian dish -- kasnocken (which is gnocchi & cheese. Lots & lots of cheese. I barely made a dent in that bowl. I think it's for shepherds in the hills, running after their flock all day.

          Five-pound lunch, ameliorated by glass of gruner vehtlinerweingul hagen 

  The Salzach River cuts Salzburg in half, with several bridges...this one is the Mozartsteg 

        For Salzburg's beloved son -- Mozart