We drove along the German Autobahn until we crossed the border back into Austria, this time arriving at the city of Salzburg.
Salzburg, Austria
Salzburg is best known as the birthplace of Mozart. It has the apartment where Mozart was born and grew up in. In its Cathedral, you can still see the baptismal font where he was baptized as an infant. Known as a child prodigy, he was already touring different European cities as a child. In Salzburg, we got to sit in an Organ Concert and hear the same organs that Mozart has played on. He was also the music director of the Cathedral before he permanently moved to Vienna to further his musical career.
The main shopping district in Salzburg with the iconic shop signs.The Salzburg CathedralThe baptismal font which was used in Mozart’s baptismLiver Dumpling Soup is a traditional Bavarian dishSalzburg’s fried chicken, known as Backhendl, is an Austrian specialty featuring chicken pieces (often from the whole bird) breaded in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs, similar to Schnitzel, and deep-fried until golden and crispy, commonly served with lemon and a traditional potato saladIn Austria, white asparagus (known as Spargel) with hollandaise sauce is a revered seasonal delicacy typically enjoyed during the “Spargelzeit” (asparagus season) from April to June.
Lake Chiemsee
The drive from Salzburg to Munich takes only about 2 hours. We stopped halfway too tour Lake Chiemsee and see another of Ludwig II’s palace built on an island.
Ludwig adored the French King Louis XIV. He built the Herrenchiemsee Castle so that he could enter his imaginary world where he was the French king walking and living inside his own Versailles.Even the garden and its fountains are clones of those in the Versailles A recreational park where people can picnic and play different water activitiesI was swimming with a school of 1000 fish in the very clear water of the Chiemsee
Munich, Germany
Munich was the capital of the Kingdom of Bavaria. This explains why the southern part of Germany and Austria feels like another country, with unique custom, food, culture, and dialect.
The New Town Hall at the heart of the city’s central plaza, the Marienplaz The Old Town HallArt Museum in MunichModern Art MuseumWe missed the Divine Liturgy at the nearby Orthodox Church because of an unexpected closure of the light rail system. It is the Pentacost Sunday and we were pleasantly surprised when we found out there is a Latin Mass in the Theatine Church featuring classical pieces by Mozart and Haydn.Munich ResidenceI finally got to try the Leberkäse after seeing it everywhere! It consists of beef, pork and bacon and is made by grinding the ingredients very finely and then baking it as a loaf in a bread pan until it has a crunchy brown crust.The German pig knuckle!At Munich’s Hofbräuhaus, we order 1L of German beer, which we did not finish.
Dachau Concentration Camp
We took a day trip to visit the Dachau Concentration Camp. The museum was very well-curated and provides a lot of personal stories and perspectives that helps visitors feel the pains of the prisoners as individual human beings.
We got to enjoy the beautiful weather and sunset by the Isar River with the locals after a day of rain
