11 Jul 2013: Hohensalzburg Fortress

The view from the fortress.

11 Jul 2013: The day to visit the Hohensalzburg Fortress. I learnt that a few of the orchestra mates had woken up early that day to hike up the fortress and enjoy the sunrise. The easier way to reach the fortress is to travel by the funicular railway.

Visitors to the fortress could join one of the walking tours with audio guide. I highly recommend it. It will take visitors to the interior area of the fortress, as well as the observation tower. The view from the observation tower is mesmerizing. The Marionette Museum is rather interesting and introduces visitors to the Marionette entertainment culture of Salzburg. The State Rooms in the fortress appear medieval in design.

At the Marionette Museum. Photo courtesy of Terence Low.

One of the exhibits in the Marionette Museum.

The view from the observation tower.

Musical instruments from the past in one of the rooms.

After exploring the fortress, there was some time to explore the nearby streets. Reflecting, I wish I had taken myself less seriously where observing time is concerned. While I would still like to observe punctuality, I learnt that I could be a bit more relaxed on sticking to it. That would have made life much kinder for myself and my friends around me.

Anyway, to ease me to a more relaxed mode, I took out my sketch book and did one of the very few sketches that I had done during the trip. It was done in about five minutes nearby Mozart's Birthplace.

After reaching the hotel after a day of sightseeing, it was time to travel to Munich by coach. We would be taking a flight from Munich to Dubai and then to Singapore on the following day.

At the Mercure Salzburg Hotel

10 Jul 2013:

Thanks to the organizing committee, dinner was arranged for the orchestra at Mercure Salzburg Hotel on our first evening in Salzburg. The rationale was that most of the affordable eating places would have been closed by the early evening.

The dinner at Mercure Salzburg Hotel was a three course dinner with soup, the main course and a dessert. A combination for dinner together with the lovely company of the orchestra mates.

The following day, when it was time for breakfast, I felt grateful for a simple yet pretty delicious breakfast. Generally, I would consider my stay at Mercure Salzburg Hotel to be a positive and pleasant one.

10 Jul 2013: Mozart's birthplace and more of the evening

10 Jul 2013: Salzburg is a beautiful place. I love the mountains and the skies. I heard that it generally has a relatively wet weather. Thankfully, on our first day at Salzburg, the weather was generally good.

After a leisure stroll along the streets of Salzburg, my friends and I reached Mozart's Birthplace. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in the house at No. 9 Getreidegasse, Salzburg, on 27 Jan 1756. He lived there until 1773. I personally prefer the exhibits in Mozart's Birthplace to those in Mozart's Residence. As photography is not allowed in the exhibition halls, it is best to check the Mozart's Birthplace yourself to see why it is an interesting place. Please allow at least 1.5 hours for the visit.

By the way, during our visit to Mozart's Birthplace, we learnt that the SPAR Supermarket that was just adjacent to the Mozart's Birthplace sells Mirabel Chocolates at a cheaper price than those found in the souvenir shops.

Salzburg has lovely streets. The horses on the streets reminded me of a time in the history when motorised vehicles were not even invented.

St Peter's Abbey.

As my friends and I approached the St Peter's Abbey in Salzburg, we heard a choir singing, and two trumpeters accompanying the choir. Near the back of the church was a cemetery. The St Peter's Abbey is considered one of the oldest monasteries in the German-speaking area. I felt a sense of peace at St Peter's Abbey.

On our way back to the hotel for dinner, we came across a bakery. What caught my eyes were the bread that were shaped to look like musical instruments. Fascinating, aren't they?

The bakery. Photo courtesy of Terence Low.