For all of those still reading, there's more...this is great therapy for my jet lag irregular sleeping hours...
My Sunday started with attending the 10:00am Mass at the Cathedral; this is the Mass with music. Altho not religious, I think it's important to experience churches in the manner for which they were intended. The Cathedral is where Mozart played the organ as a teen, and for which he wrote music specifically. The acoustics are very good, there was a 20-man choir, an organist, and the artwork in the Cathedral is just beautiful. I wasn't intending on staying for the entire Mass in German, but did. [I believe in the high season, there are free organ concerts after the Sunday Mass.] Exiting the Cathedral afterwards, the church bells are pealing, there's a buzz in the plazas, the horse carriages are clopping about, and I go back in time for a little. [I had the privilege attending Easter Mass in this Cathedral a few years ago, and it was a spectacular celebration.]
The horse carriages do add ambiance, and I was fascinated by the gentleman who cleans up after the horses. He rides a three-wheeled bike, and not only scoops up horse droppings, but cleans the area with soap and water, leaving the pavement clean and fresh-smelling. Do walk by the royal horse bath; I hadn't seen that in other cities.
Also creating buzz in the plaza was a two-day bike festival, with over 1,000 bikes on sale, kiosks, children riding areas. In September, 20121, we had run into a bike festival on a Sunday in the plaza in Bern; bikes are a very essential transportation mode in Europe.
We then walked across the river to Mirabell Gardens, [also of SOM fame,] and enjoyed the gardens in a light rain. The rain chased away other visitors, so my pictures were free of other people, with gardens and the Fortress in the background. As the rains increased, we sought shelter in a archway, sitting on the steps, and it was so peaceful. Exiting in the gardens, we found a wine bar, and the American hostess/student was a delight with whom to speak. She spoke of the previous strict Covid restrictions, when the military would check train passengers coming into the country, by closing off all the train exits but one.
Our last night was spent having dinner & the concert at the Fortress, 70 Euros for both; each could be purchased separately. We bought the tickets at the TI the day before. Altho I had communicated directly by email on the website beforehand about dinner options, I did not get the understanding that the dinner was a pre-sent menu, with an [unspecified] vegetarian option. There is a Classic dinner, and an upgrade. We enjoyed the Classic dinner of soup, chicken w/ potatoes and vegetables, and dessert. The upgrade included a choice of short ribs or whole trout [which freaked out the Americans sitting next to us] and huge pastry dessert, which no one finished. The dinner is in a series of small rooms, with the large windows giving access to the mountain views to all; paying extra for a window table was not necessary. The dinner started at 6:30, and the concert at 8:00pm, in a separate small room. The 5-piece orchestra was very good, and it was a beautiful evening. Dress was traveler casual. At the short intermission, one could go outside and enjoy the lights of Salzburg at night.
I love Salzburg; I find it comfortable, safe, friendly, with many English-speaking folks. I found the costs very reasonable, and eating out in general was cheaper than in the US; the post-covid cost increases in the US did not seem to happen in Austria and Germany. Rain was predicted almost every day, but it generally didn't.
No one checked our CDC cards, and folks weren't wearing masks [exc public transportation]. We probably could have covered Salzburg in one less day, [we had 4 nights], but after we lost a day last Sept, [getting stuck in Chicago for 24 hrs, for our Swiss trip] I wanted enough time to recover from jet lag and enjoy one of my favorite cities.