Today we continued our tour, waking up early to walk to the bus outside the pedestrian zone with our luggage in tow. (We packed light, thanks Rick!)
Our bus driver delivered us to the Trumer Welt Brewery This wasn't on our list of things we necessarily excited about, as neither of us are beer drinkers. It was part of the experience, so on we went!
Our on-site tour guide, Johanna, absolutely made the trip. She is larger than life, with a boisterous and infectious laugh and a personality that demands your attention. Imagine if Arnold Schwarzenegger had a sister or aunt that loved beer! Her passion for crafting beer is evident. Johanna was an absolute delight to learn from and experience something that previously did not interest me in the slightest!
Next we stopped at Maria Plain Pilgrimage Basilica. It was a lush rolling hilltop retreat with views of the city of Salzburg and the Alps beyond that made the stop quite lovely. The interior of the church was less impressive than some of the others we'd seen, but the grounds and the view more than made up for it. Oh, and the groundskeeper had a cat named Susie that everyone was happy to pet.
After the stop over at Maria Plain, we headed down into the city of Salzburg, and checked into our the Hotel Trumer Stube. Our evening was free, so we decided to cross the river and go exploring.
The main shopping heart of the city is the Getreidegasse shopping center. This is a massive, sprawling series of streets full of shops, restaurants and the St. Blasius church built into the side of a cliff!
The sheer magnitude of these public squares in Europe is mind boggling!
