We planned to spend this last day in Bavaria enjoying scenic Berchtesgaden and touring Hitler's Eagle's Nest and bunkers, but there are low clouds and light rain over the alps on this morning. Instead we head for Salzburg, Austria. We first visit Salzburg Cathedral (Salzburger Dom), a 17th century baroque cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Salzburg, dedicated to Saint Rupert of Salzburg. It is the site of Mozart's baptism. The composer Anton Diabelli sang in the Salzburg Cathedral boys' choir in the late 1700s.
While waiting for light rain to subside, we tour the highly-recommended, mammoth Salzburg Museum, housed in Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich's 17th-century "overflow" palace. Pride of this palace is the spectacular Sattler Panorama, one of the few remaining 360-degree paintings in the world, which shows the city of Salzburg in the early 19th century.
After a delicious lunch at the Elephant Cafe, we head for the Mozart Residence, which was partially destroyed by the Allied bomb attack on Salzburg in October 1944, but was reconstructed in 1996. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived here from 1773 until 1780. He composed the "Salzburg Symphonies" here, as well as all five violin concertos, church music, sonatas and parts of his early operatic masterpieces, including Idomeneo. We then enjoy visiting the most sumptuous church in Salzburg, the Collegiate Church of St. Peter, where Mozart's famed Great Mass in C Minor premiered in 1783, with his wife, Constanze, singing the lead soprano role.
On the way to the funicular station for the steep ride to Fortress Hohensalzburg, we walk through St. Sebastian's Cemetery, recreated for the escape scene in The Sound of Music on a Hollywood soundstage. Founded in 1077 by Salzburg's Archbishop Gebbard, Hohensalzburg is the largest preserved medieval fortress in Central Europe. There are absolutely amazing views from all sides of this acropolis.
Our last full day in this beautiful region is drawing to a close. On the ride back to Munich, the clouds have lifted and the gorgeous Bavarian alps are in view.
