Passau and Salzburg

We arrived in Passau, Germany this morning. Passau is where the two nations of Germany and Austria meet at the confluence of three rivers…the Inn, Ilz, and Danube. We selected the daylong excursion to Salzburg, Austria for today’s excursion. This city is at the foothills of the Alps. It was the setting for “The Sound of Music”and is also the birthplace of Mozart. We took a walking tour of Old Town Salzburg. The area was filled with Baroque buildings and churches, shops, cobblestone streets, and beautiful squares. The Hohensalzburg Fortress, built in 1077, towers over the city. We walked through the Mirabel Gardens and saw the fountain where Julie Andrews and the children sang the song “Do re mi”. Sue and I quietly sang the song as we circled the fountain!

Saint Peter‘s Abbey is also located in the old town. It is the oldest Benedictine monastery with a continuous history since its start in 696 A.D. There is also a restaurant in the Abbey called Saint Peter’s Stiftskulinarium. The restaurant has been there since 803 A.D. which makes it the oldest restaurant in Europe. Historical documentation shows that Charlemagne visited there. We had lunch at the restaurant and were entertained with songs from “The Sound of Music” performed by singers dressed in Bavarian costumes.Read more