19 December 2015 Saturday
We were told it would be a long day and we were advised to have heavy breakfast.
After breakfast, we disembarked from the cruise ship. I was astonished by the very misty Passau.
A cold and misty morning. Passengers gathered beside the cruise ship, waiting for transport to Salzburg.
Looking across the street…this was the visibility we had over a stretch of 10m.
Looking out from our bus, I thought the visibility was about 20-50 m. Quite an unique experience for me…. not easy for the driver.
It was a long ride and the mist cleared off about 30 minutes before we reached Salzburg.
Guided through Mirabell Palace.
There are many wonderful sculptures in the garden area.
This monument at the gate was iconic to Mirabell Palace.
From Mirabell, we crossed the Salzach River to the Salzburg Old Town.
Old Town Christmas Market.
We were blinded by sparkling Christmas goodies
The guide led us through a passageway into Getreidegasse.
Getreidegasse (Grain Lane). It was lined with cafe and shops selling luxury brands.
Crowd gathered at 9 Getreidegasse : birth place of Mozart,
There are more outstanding architecture as we walked past buildings after buildings
Feeling small…
A key stop…. St Peters’ Abbey
The open square beside Salzburg Cathedral
Salzburg Cathedral.
and my favorite Number ….1628
There was another Christmas market in front of Salzburg Catherdral
I alway felt it was the Christmas Goodies that created the atmosphere.
Our Guide pointed us to Mozartplatz as meeting place in the afternoon. An ice skating rink was set up.
Mozart was overlooking the skating rink – sight of kids enjoying skating….
Our picture with this great musician.
From Mozartplatz, we had to cross the road to Salzach River Bank. Car and Horses have fair share on road usage in Salzburg.
We strolled along Salzach River bank.
Salzach River is the Sound and the Old Town is the Music. A close up view on The color of Sound.
A far View, changing color of Salzach River.
The Old Town and New Town of Salzburg
Our Photos…
We had Nordic Seafood Lunch
After Lunch, we gathered at Mozartplatz. The Cabs were waiting for us. It was short ride to Hellbrunn Palace Christmas Market.
This Christmas Market was very popular. People continuously flocked into the Christmas Market.
The walkway between stalls were very crowded.
Christmas Goodies – Four Lovely Snowman.
The traditional stables and the Central Stage…
We love the RED crystal ball…(Christmas Baubles)
A close up on the crystal ball…
We explored the Palace Ground. It has wide open field and and pathway lined by tall trees…
Snow capped Alps just above the horizon.
Picture with Ho-San and Ho-Tai, retired couple we met on the cruise.
The pond at the center of Palace was designed for reflection
This is Perfect !!!
Colored Reflection
The ultimate … I thought this is about the best reflection I have taken here.
A little rest before we exit the palace.
Time passed quickly…Sunset over Hellbrunn.
It was a long ride to Aschach for boarding Amasonata. Raining and complete darkness when we arrived at Aschach.
After a little wash up…. it was dinner time.
End of Day 7 : A very enjoyable day for us. I enjoyed the Salzach River “Sound” and the “Music” of the Salzburg Old Town. Together I would have called this sound of music excursion. Hellbrunn Palace is the other wonder – I chose to believe it was designed to reflect and it is the best man made reflection wonder I had ever seen.
Return to : Danube Christmas Day 6
Continue to : Danube Christmas Day 8
