Round The World and other travel

November 2005 : Salzburg

Salzburg can easily stake a claim to be included in any round-up of the top ten of Europe's most beautiful cities. It's another of my old favourites that, by 2005, I realised I had neglected for far too long. I suppose I could have watched The Sound of Music again but, all things considered, I decided that a return visit was a better idea Although this was a November trip and the weather was really quite poor, I quickly realised that I had almost forgotten just how visually attractive this city really is.

General views

Classic view of the Salzach river, the old town and the Hohensalzburg fortress

The Mirabell Gardens, looking towards the fortress. In the foreground are the steps where Maria and the children taught us how to construct and resolve a Dominant 7th chord. (No jumping down backwards on this visit, though, even if I have done it in the past!)

Another view of the Festung Hohensalzburg

Shopping area

The tower of Salzburg City Hall, as seen from one of the city centre shopping streets.

Salzburg's most famous shopping street (lane, really!), home to Mozart's birthplace.

Getreidegasse is also famous for its profusion of attractive hanging signs. There's even a curiously elegant McDonald's example!

The Old Town is also famous for its rabbit's warren of passageways. All are spotless and many are home to a variety of generally up-market shops.

Fortress

	No visit to Salzburg is complete without a visit to the Festung, which dominates the city. The view during my trip was misty but still impressive.		A quiet courtyard, high above the city streets		This appears to be aimed at the Cathedral!
	The incredibly intricate design of the stove is almost lost in the overall richness of this room's decoration.		This view shows the Collegiate Church, Franciscan Church and St Peter's (on the left), with the entrance to the Cathedral on the right.

The Churches

Such is the profusion of churches in Salzburg that the city was once dubbed The German Rome. I was fairly pleased with my somewhat experimental interior photos, most of which were taken in conditions of near-darkness, without flash.

The Cathedral (Dom) facade and the Domplatz, showing the curious cone / pyramid structure now enclosing the Mariensäule.	This monument is said to depict the power of the Church over Evil. I didn't manage to work out whether the enclosure is a temporary or permanent feature.	The Cathedral entrance is watched over by statues of Saints Peter and Paul (centre), Rupert and Virgil.
View showing the baptismal font and one of the side altars.	The frescoes depict scenes from the Old Testament. I suppose you could call it the Dom-Dome.	External view of the Franciscan Church
The air was still thick with the sweet scent of incense from morning Mass when I captured this shot of the sanctuary.	The Benedictine church of St Peter is a distinctive sight, while the adjoining city centre cemetery is - strange as it may sound - well worth a visit.	The fabulously over-the-top, ornate interior of St Peter's is truly a sight to behold.
Compared to St Peter's, the Collegiate Church seemed relatively stark and bare inside. However the flickering candlelight and haunting sound of Gregorian Chant (presumably piped) left one in no possible doubt that this is also a Catholic church. And it did have a couple of spectacular "moments" too, as this side altar testifies.