More Austria

Salzburg, Austria

To all our Austrian friends that we have made along the way; Andi and Tanja on s/y LIV by Ocean, Georg on s/y Inka and others we have met, we just want to say you have a beautiful country.  We know that you need the ocean and the sunshine (especially you Andi!)... but how nice to be able to return to such a beautiful, beautiful place. 

Salzburg, Austria

The downside of all that beauty however is it just beckons folks to come and visit - good for the economy but bad for peace and quiet.  There was a swirling mass of humanity in every nook and cranny of Salzburg when we were there - which was admittedly during the height of tourist season.  We would not recommend August for a visit to Austria.  

Mirabell Gardens with the Salzburg Cathedral and Hohensalzburg fortress in the background

Perhaps spring would be a nice time, and if you are brave, I am sure winter is beautiful as well.  Salzburg lies in the eastern Alps but I have to say the Alps seem very different from the mountain ranges that we are accustomed to in the US.  The large alpine meadows fool you into thinking you are at a lower altitude as the land tends to level out some in the meadows.  

Kollengienkirche

Of course, we saw all the iconic sites in Salzburg; the Hohensalzburg Fortress, Salzburg Cathedral and the Mirabell palace and gardens to name a few.  We did not see quite all of the beautiful churches in Salzburg however as we decided instead to get out of town and away from the crowds for a day.  Our initial plan was to go see the worlds largest ice cave in Werfen.  But Michael balked at first climbing a mountain to get to the ice cave and then walking up the 700 steps once inside the ice cave!  So instead we went on a boat ride!

Kollengienkirche

 First, a nice drive through the mountains and then a short boat ride on Wolfgang Lake (it was actually the ferry) from St. Gilgen to St. Wolfgang.  Mozart's mother was born in St. Wolfgang.  The town was named after Saint Wolfgang and Mozart was named after the Saint, as were most boys from the town.  You can see how that might get confusing after a while😁.

Wolfgang Lake (Wolfgangsee)

It was such a lovely day - warm with lots of sunshine and of course, we were just so happy to be on the water.  The story goes that the lake is so clean you can drink out of it - we didn't have a drink but it certainly looked clean.  And there were lots of folks out enjoying the day as you can see by all the sailboats.  

 

Wolfgang Lake

 

After the boat ride we walked around St. Wolfgang a bit (a big tourist stop) but resisted impulse buying.  Instead, we just enjoyed the town and some ice cream.  The ride back to Salzburg was supposed to be via the highway but thank goodness there was a lot of traffic.  So our "guide" diverted back through the country which we were very happy about.  Great scenery to end a great day!!