Salzburg, Austria

I went to Salzburg hoping for snow and stunning fireworks, but alas, I got neither. But I did meet some really fun people and enjoyed spending time in such a beautiful city.

There’s a great view of the fortress from the river…

Or from the hill opposite the fortress…

Or from anywhere, really…

Construction began in the year 1077! It’s one of the largest and best-preserved midieval castles in Europe.

I also enjoyed seeing an exhibit about marionettes which are really popular in this region. In fact I also saw a marionette performance of “The Nutcracker” but we weren’t allowed to take pictures.

I went up to the castle, of course…

…and saw the amazing views of the city and the mountains.

I also visited the castle museum. My favorite room featured suits of armor in various action poses, much different from the rigid statues we usually see.

I walked along the plateau to get another beautiful view of the castle and the city below.

The town itself was very beautiful, of course…

On my last night, I spent about 6 hours getting to know some fun new people. All four of us are living abroad in various places! We had a ton to talk about. 🙂

A bunch of people from the hostel walked down to the river to get a good view of the world-famous fireworks that are lit off from the castle every year. We were expecting a view like this but instead…