Day 48- Salzburg, Austria

Day 48- 2 October 2008 Today i awoke and got (dragged) myself down to the main train station and booked into a one day trip to austria. Before i knew it i was on a train Austria bound and after the 2 hour ride we arrived in Salzburg (what most people call the home of the Sound of Music). After a short bus ride we arrived in the old town and were taken on a 1.5 hour guided tour of the old town. We went to the oldest monastry in Salzburg and also the oldest church which was quite interesting. We also went through the old cemetery which was interesting and the most notable gravesite was that of the man who had 7 wifes. All but one died within the first few months of marriage. Apparently he would tie them up in bed and tickle them to death so the 7th wife tells who escaped. We also went via the main shopping street which is quite a pretty part of the town. I then took the funicular to the top of the hill which overlooks Salzburg and took a tour of the Fortress. Whilst not as impressive as the palaces i had seen in the last few weeks it was interesting nonetheless. From here i took the funicular back down and then revisited the cemetary and took a walk into the catacombs which are within the mountain side. I was not sure what i was expecting to see, but what i expected was more than a tunnel on the edge of the mountain (one side exposed to the world and two very small chapels which i got. Not one grave site or bone or skull. Very disaapointing. After this i walked along the street and came across some workmen and women who were digging up the middle of the street. When i peered over the metal chain fence i noticied something odd. They were using brushes to clean away some dirt near an orange pipe. I then looked closer and found that there was a whole human skeleton uncovered. This was in the middle of the street near a brand new orange pipe. This was extraordinary to say the least. Who knows what poor person ended up here and which salzburg council person (or other person) buried this poor man or woman there. From here i visted the Residence which was a palace home to the Salburg royalty. The state rooms and halls were just as magnificant as the ones in Munich and many splended paintings, furniture and frescos and gold... I then also checked out the Residence Gallery which currently has an exhibition on Sin !! From here i walked around the old town and then got some chocolate tart from the famous Hotel Sacher. We also past by some of the sites of the Sound of Music (such as the lavish gardens near the residence)the cemetary etc. Then i jumped aboard the train for the 2 hour return trip back to Munich, where upon my arrival i got back on a tram and headed to my hostel, The Tent. A nice meal and a few beverages with new friends around a bon fire were had.