111009 Munich Salzburg

Munich, Germany, welcomed me for the second time this year.  But this time the weather was cloudy and rainy.  This trip was my 4th to Europe so far.

After checking at the Fleming's Hotel, across the street from the Hauptbahnhof (main train station), I spent the rest of the day at the office.  The rain came and went but never stopped completely for the next few days.  Since the days were getting shorter, but my time at the office ended late, I could only manage one picture of the Rathaus (city hall) but from the different side than my shot from my previous visit to Munich.

Rathaus (city hall) of Munich.

By the end of the last work day, the sun finally came out from behind thick clouds.  After unloading my work gear (laptop, etc), I took up my tripod and headed toward the "Englischer Garten".  The sun was setting fast.  I had to settle for the smaller Hofgarten.  

Dianatempel in the Hofgarten.

But while there, I met a young woman playing a musical instrument resembling a closed wok.  Her name is Asha.  The sound of this "hang", as this instrument is named, was a mix between steel drum, electric piano, and harp.  A sample of her songs can be heard at http://www.myspace.com/ashaandthehang. 

Asha and her music instrument at Hofgarten in Munich.

But the sun was almost down.  On the way back to my hotel, I passed by yet another street performer.  This man was playing an instrument resembling a stripped down piano, but without keys and hammers.  He hit the wires with a pair of sticks covered with felt.  He was playing "Love Story".  And his performance was wonderful. 

A street performer near Hofgarten in Munich.

When I was preparing for this trip, I discovered it was much cheaper to stay an extra day than fly home on Saturday.  So with the permission of my supervisor and my "boss", I did just that.  I took advantage of this extra day to visit Salzburg, Austria.  I signed up for a day tour.


My tour group left Munich by mid morning.  The train to Salzburg, Austria, took us through some of the most beautiful landscape of central Europe, with gentle rolling hills and quaint villages. I wished I could lean out of the train or open its windows to take a few pictures.  But doing so was not legal and would probably irk fellow passengers as cold air would rush in.  Shooting through window glass panes was not a good idea as they were full of water stains from the rain of the last few days.


Salzburg, Austria: home of W. A. Mozart - musical genius.  We arrived there around noon.  We were introduced to Schloss Mirabell, the very location where the song "Do-Re-Mi" in the movie "The Sound of Music" was filmed.  The Mirabell Palace is also a very popular location for weddings, with a waiting list of a few years.

Garden at Schloss Mirabell, where the movie "The Sound of Music" was filmed.

The picture above shows the fountain around which "Maria and the children" marched as they sang the song "Do-Re-Mi".  In the background, is the staircase they hoped on as they performed this song.  The tour guide only allowed us 5 minutes to visit this beautiful place.  She told us the history of Salzburg, a city founded before the Roman empire, with its main source of wealth derived from Salz (German for salt) mined from nearby hills.  Salt as an important component of the pay of workers and soldiers engendered "salary".  It is also nicknamed "white gold".


Salzburg is also home to one of the 3 unique "Sacher Torte" bakeries, famous for their chocolate cake.  Its recipe is said to be a state secret of Austria.  This city is also the birth place and hometown of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  As we meandered through the downtown area, I was separated from the tour group.  Since I booked this tour online, I was able to download the phone number of the tour office directly to my mobile phone the night before.  After contacting the tour office and obtained the rendez-vous point and time for the return trip, I went exploring on my own.

Old town Salzburg with Festung Hohensalzburg (High Salzburg Fortress) in the background.

 Salzburg, viewed from Festung Hohensalzburg.

Puppet performing in the street of Salzburg, Austria.

Our meeting point to begin the trip back to Munich was in front of the birthplace of Mozart.  The time spent in Salzburg was clearly too short.  I wished I could stay longer to explore and enjoy the salt caves and take pictures of the Festung Hohensalzburg during the blue hours.  But tomorrow began my journey home.

The next morning, as I crossed the Hauptbahnhof of Munich on my way to the airport, I met a toddler traveling with her family.  She was so adorable as she was dragging a suitcase bigger than she.  By the time I caught up to her family and asked for permission to photograph, the young girl was already inside the grocery store at the main train station.  I quickly snapped a picture of her.

A young traveler at the Hauptbahnhof of Munich.

These pictures, along with others, are posted at https://picasaweb.google.com/108013863525571472697/111009MUCSZB#.  As always, your comments / critiques of this blog or any pictures are solicited and welcome. 

Enjoy and thank you.
Paul