So, after pouring rain on Monday, we awoke to beautiful mountain sunshine on Tuesday. A perfect day, said my husband–yes the one who broke his ankle just a few weeks ago–to climb a mountain. When I saw that a ride up in the funicular rail car cost 10.50 Euros each, that convinced me he could tough it out. He did fine with the help of a walking stick, and it was worth it just for the photo ops.

I’m in pretty good shape, but my knees were talking back to me by the time we got to the top. Still, there were several people much older than me that made it up. There are a lot of very fit senior citizens here, and while stockiness is the norm, the truly obese are pretty rare. I noticed that unlike in the States, there were no warnings posted anywhere either on the way up to the castle or on the MANY stairs inside the fortress about potential danger for those with “heart conditions.” I guess if the food here doesn’t kill you, you are fit enough to walk up a steep hill now and then.

Anyway, the interior of the fortress is notable primarily for its stunning views over the city and the surrounding Alpine valley. We lucked onto the perfect day for enjoying them from the top of the highest tower.

There were a couple of neat exhibits inside. I thought this was a really creative way to display medieval armor.

And, shades of Prague, there was a marionette exhibit.

There are actually people living in the fortress: tower-keepers and the like. This guy has a real green thumb. I saw him coming home with his kids. What an interesting place for a kid to grow up!

After a quick lunch at the tower cafe, we were able to take the funicular back down for free. Guess why? Think about it: one car goes up as the other car goes down. The railway will operate more efficiently if the weight is balanced. So, we went down as ballast! Whatever: I am just happy any time I can get something for free in this country, lol.

We headed back to the hotel to give our knees a wee break before enjoying Salzburg’s two primary activities: shopping for twee tchotchkes and stuffing our faces with crazy expensive food. To be continued…