To Salzburg, May 14

We had a lovely breakfast at the Gasthof and then headed for Salzburg.  First, however, we mailed ourselves a parcel to cut down on our packing.  We avoided the motorway and took only secondary roads.  The road to Linz was along the Danube and very pretty. From Linz on, it was a bit more congested, but it was nice to be off the motorways where you see very little.  We drove through the town of Mauthausen, where there was a concentration camp, which was sobering.

Before we left Marbach, we checked the address of the hotel we had booked in Salzburg and found that the hotel had confirmed our reservation the first time for the correct dates, but the second time, for June!  So, we wrote quickly and were told there were only two rooms left.  We wrote back, explaining  that it was not our mistake and headed out.

We parked under a mountain!  Really.  Hotel Amadeus is on Linzergasse, a pedestrian-only street.  When we arrived, the hotel gave us an upgrade to a bigger room overlooking the street.  We have a fabulous bathroom.  At the end of the street, a bridge crosses the river to the old town, a short walk.

 

We went to the tourist bureau and got tickets for a concert tomorrow night at the Hohenzalburg Fortress.

The only other time we have been here, we saw very little as it was when Jecca and Nick's passports had been stolen in Italy and we had to spend hours in the consulate here to replace them.  Mark actually remembered the way to walk to the consulate, over a walking bridge!  We found out that there isn't a consulate here anymore, just the embassy in Vienna, which would have been a real hassle  for us.

Anyhow, we walked around in lovely weather, all around the old town and over to the Mirabell Gardens where the wisteria in bloom is amazing, as well as the tulips.  Later, we ate at a so-so Japanese restaurant and went back across to the old town and wandered some more!