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Salzburg / Altenmarkt (Radstadt) Photos

In May, my brother Craig and I taught a week-long English camp for Austrian junior high students in Altenmarkt im Pongau, a small town in Salzburger Land (Salzburg State).

Altenmarkt, formerly known as Radstadt and Altenradstadt, is nestled in a valley ringed by mountains. I'm sorry to report that my landscape photography skills didn't do justice to the beautiful scenery that surrounded us. I took a few pictures of the mountains, but I'm not really happy with them.

Craig and I took a hike up toward Zauchensee one day while we were in Altenmarkt. Many of the photos in this post were taken during that walk. We trekked a good 2 hours up the mountain, thinking we'd be able to catch a bus back down. Toward the end of our hike, late in the afternoon, we were walking through snow - without cold weather clothing. When we realized that the bus wasn't running, we jogged / ran back down the mountain, hoping to get back to our hotel before it got too cold. Fortunately, we outran nightfall.

Altenmarkt is the oldest settlement in the Salzburger Ennstal (Salzburg's River Enns Valley).

The city also serves as the Mutterpfarr (Mother Parish) for the Catholic church in this area.

This is the Dekanatspfarrkirche Altenmarkt, built in 1390.

I need to work on my church interior photography. Lighting is tough in these older churches.

Styria / Salzkammergut / Grundlsee Photos

My mom visited me this Summer, and she and I spent an amazing week touring around the Salzkammergut. The Salzkammergut is a picturesque area in the Austrian Alps near Salzburg. Rich in history and beautiful scenery, the area is home to a multitude of pristine lakes, quaint villages and majestic mountains.

The pictures in this post were taken around the Grundlsee (Lake Grundl), where our hotel was located. The Grundlsee is located in the Austrian state of Steiermark (also known as Styria). I'll get some more pictures of this beautiful region online soon. I'll also try to spruce up the captions a little.

The only motorized boats on this lake were the tourist ferries and small boats with electric motors. No ski boats or jet skis.

Wow.

Our resort consisted of the brown buildings on the hill. We had a lakeview room in the front building.

Ferienwohnungen = Vacation apartments. There was an abundance of private guesthouses around the lake.

Good News / Bad News

The good news is: I have a lot of nice, new pictures.
The bad news is: I have a lot of nice, new pictures (too many).

I spent an awesome week last week in the beautiful countryside a couple of hours outside of Salzburg (in Pongau), and I capped it off with a fun weekend in Salzburg. Needless to say, I took a lot of pictures. The weather was beautiful today, and I got out, twice, and took even more. I made some in the city center, some during a drive out to the outskirts and some in the countryside at Baumgartner Höhe, in the 14th district.

I've taken 1400 pictures in the last month (that I didn't delete on-camera), probably 2000, total. We have had some amazing weather, and I have been taking advantage of it. The problem is, I have too many pictures to upload. I'm swamped. Way behind.

On the other hand, I got a little brave and expiremented with the custom parameters on my camera. I had been unhappy with the color saturation levels in my photos for the last couple of months. I had been using Parameter 1 (EOS 300 D users should understand that). I was increasing color saturation in most of my photos in Photoshop, but experimenting with the custom parameters has allowed me to get the pictures that I want, right out of the camera. This means that it will take me less time to process images, ergo less time to get them online, which is another good thing (to me).

I promise I'll get some more pictures online soon.

Wien Naschmarkt Flea Market Photos

These are a few more photos that a took a month or so ago at the Naschmarkt Flea Market.

The new face of Chanel

Bargain Hunters

Salzburg Dom (Cathedral) Photos

Pictures of the Salzburger Dom (Salzburg Cathedral). I'll caption these later. Don't miss my other Salzburg photos!

Salzburg - Mönchsberg Photos

If you make it to Salzburg, I recommend walking across Mönchsberg (Monk's Mountain) from the Hohe Festung to the other end. The walk takes 2-3 hours, depending on your gait.

You'll see some unique, old buildings along the way.

Don't miss my other Salzburg Photos.

Salzburg Panorama Photos from atop Mönchsberg

The cliffs of Mönchsberg (Monk's Mountain) rise out of Salzburg's Altstadt (Old City). Walk or take a train to the top of the "mountain" to visit the Hohe Festung (High Fortress), where you'll enjoy awesome panoramas of the city and surrounding mountains. Take a look at my other Mönchsberg and Salzburg Photos.

Panorama view from Mönchsberg. I believe these mountains are a part of the Hohe Tauern (High Towers) Alpine range.

Hohe Tauern is also the name of the Austrian national park that encompasses the mountains, including the Grossglockner (Great Ringer), Austria's tallest mountain.

Salzburg Hohe Festung Photos

Salburg's Hohe Festung (High Fortress) was built to protect the rich, powerful city from invaders.

The fortress is huge, encompassing several fortifications and enclosing a small village.

Salzburg Altstadt Photos

Salzburg (Salt Castle / Fortress)'s rich salt resources made it an important center of commercial and religious power.

Wealthy merchants built ornate buildings like this one, on the square in front of the University Church.

Salzburg Photos

I took a day trip to Salzburg with a friend last October. I lived in Austria for 4 years without visiting this gem. I can't believe I waited so long! Salzburg is a beautiful city, packed with things to see and photograph. The landscape, the architecture - it's all straight out of a story book.

As you can see, the skies were overcast. I'll visit Salzburg again this Summer and take some pictures with blue sky backgrounds. Foreground: Salzach River, Middleground: Altstadt (old city), Background: the fortress (watching over the city). More Salzburg Altstadt photos .

This is the impressive Salzburg Hohe Festung (high fortress). It sits atop Mönchsberg (Monk's Mountain), overlooking the city. The views from the fortress are amazing - beautiful, lush fields bounded by majestic mountains from some points, and bird's eye views of the city from others. More Salzburg Hohe Festung photos.