Day Two

The gate through which I entered Mirabell gardens on my first day.
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Well after going to bed so early and being so exhausted after day one I awoke early Thursday morning ready to really explore. The sun was streaming in throught the sky light in my room and it looked like a nice day. I had wonderful water pressure in the shower (very important to me!) and dressed in layers to combat whatever weather might come my way. I headed downstairs to the main floor ( I was on the third floor) to find my landlords for the week to settle my bill and grab some breakfast.

The first fountain in Mirabell gardens. She looks like a little sprite with birds perched on her.
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Breakfast was fantastic. I had the best time. They spoke a little English and myself even less German but we made it through ok. I had some orange juice and they placed a large breakfast in front of me with the best tea I have ever had. They had rolls with meats and cheese, cereal, yogourt, fruit, a hard boiled egg, jams and spreads. The whole place was also very bright and cheery with lots of natural light. I ate what I could and scurried back upstairs to get ready to leave for the day. When I got back to my room it had been cleaned already. I quickly packed a few things in my bag and headed out the door.

Spices fill the air

A window on a bank building that is just outside the exit of the gardens.
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I had about a ten minute walk until I found myself in the market that happens every thursday morning in the parking lot of the cathedral across from the Mirabell gardens. The wonderful smell of spices filled the air everywhere I went. I grabbed some fresh fruit from a stall and crossed the street. It was a little tricky avoiding some of the walking tours but I managed to evade the groups pass through a wrought iron gate set in an vine covered stone wall and voila! Mirabell gardens.

The gardens were used extensively in the shooting of the Do-Re-Mi sequence of the Sound of Music but I was not prepared for how breathtakingly beautiful they are in person. Everywhere you look there are great statues of mythological creatures. Fountains are found in little corners around bushes or the main ones  just in the centre of the gardens and at the entrance to Mirabell Palace. The dwarves garden is shaded by giant trees and almost seems to have a mischevious magic in the air. I spent some time exploring knowing that this would be a place I would come back to (and I did, every day!) and set off to the alstadt (old town) across the Salzach river.

Looking down the Salzach river to the Mozart foot bridge.
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I crossed the river and was swept with the crowd through a gate into the pedestrian shopping streets of Salzburg. Directly ahead was a large bright yellow building I had seen in pictures and the crowd gathering out front confirmed to me that it was in fact Mozart's birthplace. Wanting to skip the crush of people posing for pictures and waiting to tour I kept walking down the narrow streets gazing in the windows as the shop keepers began to open their stores for the day.

Day Two to be continued. I found the market, the Domplatz, Mozart square, toured the Fortress and the Marionette Museum...stay tuned!