Rain, for most of the day, was forecast on Saturday so a visit to the centre of Salzburg, rather than trips to cable cars, was more appropriate.
Rain was also forecast today but only for a couple of hours in the afternoon. So armed with my new umbrella....
I caught the number 21 bus from a stop immediately outside the apartment into the centre. Running every 15 - 20 minutes, there are a network of buses that run from the outskirts into the centre with an easy to read network map. The centre of Salzburg is small with the bus stops all located in the same location, right by the river, rather than in some depressing bus station.
Anyway, I arrived in the centre with rapidly developing large cumulus clouds, with black bases, moving towards the city.
While the Romans merged settlements to form Juvavum, it wasn't until St Rupert created a religious settlement in the 8C, calling it Salzburg (salt castle), that the city began its continuous development through the medieval period on both sides of the river, linked by a wooden bridge. Tolls exacted on barges moving salt on the Salzbach, controlled by the Hohensalzburg castle high above the city, provided essential funds for the thriving city..
A slight divergence....The name Rupert is, for me, always associated with Rupert bear..the children's comic strip character of the pre-war period... in 2002 only 34 births were registered but recently it has had a renaissance, probably due to the disproportionate number of successful actors named Rupert... Rupert Everett, Rupert Graves, Rupert Grint, Rupert Penry-Jones, Rupert Friend.... But its other form that we do use is Robert....
As you arrive in the centre, the first thing that is striking is how the city is squeezed between shear rock outcrops of the Hohensalzburg castle, the Monchberg and the Kapuzinerberg.
I decided to aim for the Kapuzinerberg, on the Neustadt side, and climbed back to view the Altstadt and the castle....
 |
| What was interesting was seeing the park/field so close to the centre... |
Back down and worried out the clouds, I took a quick tour of the Altstadt.
 |
| Schloss Mirabell and the Mirabellgarten.. |
 |
| Markartplatz and the Dreifaltigkeitskirche |
The Altstadz has its main thoroughfares running nearly parallel to the river, linked with other streets but also riven by small public passageways that run through the deep medieval blocks...
The Aldstadt is where the Baroque architecture is situated.
 |
| The Salzburg Museum with the green hills close |
 |
| Gateway to the Dom Museum.. |
 |
| This is the best gravity deceiving 'still-man' I have seen... |
 |
| Dominating Dom..... |
With rain starting to fall.. I decided to take the tour to the castle.. The great thing is that the funicular rail was running (unlike Budapest) and the ticket included the visit to the castle..
I have become quite used to taking pictures on behalf of smiling couples with stunning backdrops... but no one has suggested they take a picture of me....
The castle state apartments dating from the 17C.. The castle was continually expanded and developed from the 8C to the 17C, until fortresses like this became redundant due to advances in military technology... becoming a tourist attraction with the construction of the funicular railway in 1892...
 |
| The rooms were heated by this wonderfully tiled stoves.. |
 |
| This was an original early medieval external wall, being closed up when additional rooms were added. |
At the end of the visit is the ubiquitous shop.. but with some sale items that would have caused serious difficulty in getting the boys out, had they visited 10 years ago....😊
leaving, the sun came out....
Finally... another first for the trip... i have been bitten by mosquito/s...
itchy, particularly the one on my ear lobe.. already big, it doesn't need a swelling bite to make it even bigger......
No comments:
Post a Comment