Our last full day of our trip was probably our most touristy-vacation-esque of our trip. We went to Salzburg and walked around, taking in the sights. Once again, I regret not buying any art, since we passed a few galleries which were closed by the time we departed in the late afternoon. Salzburg is a beautiful city, with lots going on, and a lot of photogenic scenery. We mainly walked around, but we also visited St. Peter’s Abbey and, after Bill lit a candle for his late father, who was a Catholic, we had a very expensive but delicious lunch at Peter, one of the restaurants in St. Peter Stiftskulinarium, which was founded in 803 AD. We didn’t know anything about the restaurant when we visited, but it turned out to be a very successful stop.
Below are some photos from our walk around the city before lunch…
We decided to skip the Salzburger Dom, since we’d seen it before. 
Last time we were in Salzburg, there were many Friesian horses… Not this time. 
This guy was walking on air. 
Buskers are pretty common near the Dom. Last time, we ran into a choir of Russian soldiers who made me cry. 
St. Peter’s Abbey… 
It’s been a year since Bill lost his father. He was not able to attend the funeral.
Peter is right next to the Abbey. They were decorating it for Christmas and, I have to admit, I was drawn in by how beautiful the restaurant was looking with the Christmas lights, trees, and ornaments. It turned out they have good food, too… for a price. But we didn’t mind, as it was a really nice meal and the only “fancy” one we had on our trip. In fact, we didn’t spend much money on food at all, most days. I wish it showed on my body, but I guess I’d have to give up booze for that to happen…
The outdoor area of the restaurant. 
The entrance. 
Handy menu. 
Bill wanted to order a Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but they were out of what he wanted. 
This was a nice substitute, at 120 euros! That was 20 euros more than the other bottle that they didn’t have. 
I had a small pickled salmon starter with quinoa and radishes. 
Bill had burrata with sweet cherry tomatoes. 
For my main course, I had roasted duck breast with orange sauce and potatoes. 
Bill had venison with potato dumplings and pureed celery. 
And dessert for me was a dark chocolate cream. 
Bill had a lemon meringue tart. 
Another shot of the dessert.
Peter gets mixed reviews. Some people think it’s an overpriced tourist trap. Personally, I enjoyed it, except for the pop music on the sound system, which didn’t seem to go with the food. Also, we were surprised when we came into the restaurant and the hostess told us we didn’t have to wear masks if we were vaccinated. We weren’t upset about it… just surprised. The restaurant was pretty busy and was doing a brisk business. I had originally wanted to get steak there, but they sold it by the gram and it started at 350 grams, which was way too much food for me. Maybe if Bill and I could have split it. We were happy with what we had, though. The duck was delicious, and Bill always enjoys venison whenever he can get it, since I don’t usually eat it myself. Our bill was about 250 euros, but it was money well spent.
After lunch, we walked around the cemetery, taking notice of how beautiful and ornate the graves were. Some of them had actual well-tended gardens on them. I haven’t even mentioned Mozart, who is everywhere in Salzburg, since it’s where he was born.
And as we came out of the cemetery, we found the Wasserrad, a long running source of power…
It was at about this time that we decided to pick up a few souvenirs, mostly for Bill’s co-workers, who bring us stuff on their travels. I also got a new beer stein for my collection. I now have two from Germany, two from Austria, and one from Switzerland. I tried to talk Bill into getting a hat, like the ones we saw in The Sound of Music. He turned me down.
Bill didn’t want one of those hats. 
I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen anyone playing one of these life size chess games. 
We have one in our Dorfplatz, but I’ve never seen anyone using it. 
This young lady, Valentina Marshinoskaya, was playing lovely music, so we bought one of her CDs. 
And finally, we decided to visit the Stieglbrau, a restaurant affiliated with the brewery. It also has a Biergarten/Winter solarium for those of us who just come to drink, as Bill and I did… I think it was worth visiting for the views alone! Last time we were in Salzburg, back in May 2012, the restaurant wasn’t open. I don’t remember why.
I enjoyed this beer… Bill had an IPA, and I had a Hefeweizen… and a Naturtueb. 
A Stolperstein (stumbling stone) commemorating a Holocaust victim. 
Salzburg is so pretty!
Bill ducked in to a little gourmet shop to get some Stiegl beer, some deer and antelope sausage, and a new beer mug for me. I was really feeling the urge to shop, since so many places in Croatia and Slovenia were closed.
The sun was sinking as we went back to the garage to get the car. Austrians are so civilized, they had a very clean WC there, which I needed to visit. Unfortunately, I almost walked into the men’s room… a couple of locals laughed about that! Then, on the very short drive back to Ray’s house, we were stopped at a light, and some mean spirited jackass on a bike and carrying a skateboard knocked on the window. When I looked up, he shot me the middle finger while wearing a most hateful expression on his face, which is illegal in Germany and, my German friend Susanne says, is also illegal in Austria. Needless to say, I quickly fired back, and hope he fell off his bike and neutered himself. I don’t know why he flipped us– or really, me– off. I had nothing to do with any traffic offenses, since I was sitting in the passenger seat, minding my own business. Asshole.
We decided to relax on our last night on vacation, though if I’m honest, I was really ready to go home. After awhile, it gets tiresome living out of a bag. I also really missed the dogs. So, although we had a good day in Salzburg and could have seen a lot more, I was ready to go back to normal living.
Stay tuned for the last post in this series, part fourteen.
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