Salzburg, Austria

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I was tired when my train finally got into Salzburg, and I kept making rookie travel mistakes like losing my 5 Euro bus pass and getting on/off at the wrong stops. Long day of traveling! Fortunately, I soon got to my B&B, the Pension Herbert, on the outskirts of Salzburg (which is small, so not as far away as it sounds). The B&B was nice and comfortable, with easy bus service back to the center. Taking a nap was mighty tempting, but I always stay up the entire day when arriving in Europe, to try to get over jet lag as quickly as possible.

I got started touring Salzburg’s picturesque squares a few hours before dusk – but sadly, the sun didn’t follow me from Munich, as it was mostly cloudy. What a shame: Salzburg is a beautiful, photogenic city that I’d hoped to see in good weather.

Residenzplatz, Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg, Austria, Clock Tower

Dusk is my favorite time to shoot pictures in a city like this, but this first night I didn’t even bother. I found a pizzeria near my B&B, had dinner, and went to be early.

The next morning, it started to drizzle a bit. The plan for this day was a bus trip Berchtesgaden, Germany (about a half hour away) to see some Nazi stuff and nice Bavarian scenery. The weather just got worse. I got a few pictures down from the hills of Berchtesgaden before the skies opened up with rain.

Berchtesgaden, Germany, View from Documentation Center

I spent the next few hours in the Nazi Documentation Center at Berchtesgaden and had one of those “small world moments when I ran into a woman from my high school in rural Pennsylvania. She was a year ahead of me; we hadn’t known each other but had many mutual friends, and Facebook had previously suggested we might know each other. Wow, Facebook can even predict the future now!

As for the Documentation Center: even though I’m a history buff, I found it a bit frustrating. It’s not a “museum” because there are no artifacts, just pictures, documents, etc. Almost all the descriptive text is in German, and the English audio guide simply translates all the text in each exhibit, so it’s quite verbose. In any case, the Center mostly tells the story of the Nazi rise to power, and I’d already known that pretty well. But the posters, photos, and propaganda were fascinating. I think seeing the Center with a guide would have been more worthwhile.

Berchtesgaden, Germany: Nazi Documentation Center

Back in Salzburg, the rains stopped and the sun tried to come out, and I photographed it as best as I could. The town is full of beautiful churches, gardens, and nice squares, plus a dramatic fortress up on a hill. The Mirabell Gardens are gorgeous even without sun, though.

At dusk I managed to get a few nice shots of the Fortress and a few on the river.