Day 38, Thursday, 20 Sep: Salzburg

Today is another beautiful sunny day if a little hot. Following a suggestion from a fellow concert attendee, we decided to explore Mirabell Palace Gardens on the far side of the river and then return to this side of the river for St. Peter’s Abbey Church and grounds and the Cathedral and Museum.

As we made our way in the direction of the Gardens we noticed an increased police presence. As we approached Mirabell Gardens, most of it was blocked off and there were more police in this one area than we have ever seen in one location. Considering we live right outside Washington D.C., that’s saying a lot. Based on a sign that we saw, we thought the Austrian president was visiting. When we returned to or hotel, we discovered that we were close. All the heads of the EU were meeting to discuss Brexit.

Following our aborted attempt to visit Mirabell Gardens, we decided to head to St. Peter’s and return this evening when the Gardens will be reopened to the public. St. Peter’s was an oasis from the heat and crowds. On the way to St. Peter’s we passed through the Old Market and Cathedral Square. The End of Summer Festival began there today. It was like a mini carnival complete with craft booths and a large tent with a live band and food and lots of beer.

We began our tour of St. Peter’s with the cemetery and catacombs. In this case the catacombs are actually caves in the side of a cliff below the Fortress where there are some graves as well as chapels and altars. The caves also served “as a refuge for early persecuted Christians”. St Peter’s Church is beautiful. Before going to the Cathedral we decided it was time for some refreshment. The band was on break so we pretty much had the tent to ourselves. After our drinks, we detoured for ice cream on the way to the Cathedral Museum.
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Since we had less than 90 minutes before closing time, we moved pretty quickly through the exhibits which had a fair amount of information about the history of Salzburg and the Prince-Archbishops as they were referred to. The building, furnishings, art treasures, and religious articles were quite interesting. Again, we were treated to some amazing views of Salzburg from the museum terrace. After the museum closed we toured the Cathedral itself. There are five independent organs in the Cathedral (Some report that there are seven, but we could find only five). The ‘Grosser Domorgel’, or great organ, at the back of the Cathedral, commissioned by Archbishop Johann Ernst in 1703, is a magnificent organ. Unfortunately, our timing was not good and we didn’t get to hear any of them. Although the cathedral is much larger and beautiful, we preferred the more intimate feel of St. Peter’s.

We headed back across the river for dinner and then finally the Mirabell Palace Gardens. They were truly worth the wait with many lovely flowers in bloom. Although the roses are past their prime, some were still blooming and we could imagine the beauty of the rose gardens when in peak bloom. It would be a wonderful oasis from the heat and humidity that Austria had this summer. They were originally designed in 1687 with later additions. Some scenes from the Sound of Music were filmed here. It was a great end to our visit in Salzburg.