Fortress Hohensalzburg Spring 2018


I spent the Spring 2018 semester on a study abroad exchange in Salzburg, Austria (from mid-February to the end of June). It was an amazing experience and I enjoyed the opportunity to maintain my German skills. I also had a lot of fun exploring the city and surrounding mountain landscape, which presented excellent photo opportunities on a daily basis.

One of my favorite activities was returning to certain spots regularly throughout the semester to capture scenes during different times of day, under various weather conditions, and in different stages of spring. One such spot was on Kapuzinerberg, a small mountain located right in the city of Salzburg, which offered not only numerous forest walking paths to the top, but also an excellent view looking southwest across the Salzach river at the Hohensalzburg fortress (which itself looms over the historic old town).






The above picture was taken on the morning of February 18, 2018 (three days after my arrival in Salzburg). I could've done a better job framing and centering the shot, and keeping the trees and branches out of the way, but I am happy that none of them are directly obscuring the fortress. The stunning 1,973-m (6,473-ft) Untersberg is not visible in the background here due to the low-hanging clouds.












This picture was taken from nearly the exact same spot as the previous photo, on the afternoon of March 25, 2018. The mountains are visible in the background, but Untersberg is actually out of frame on the left.





Taken on the same afternoon, March 25, but from a lower point on the mountain, looking slightly further south--Untersberg is clearly visible behind the fortress. I'm more pleased with the framing in this shot.







I took this picture of my dad (taking a picture of the fortress) one day later, on March 26 (my parents had arrived that morning to visit). I like it because the wider shot shows the Salzach river and historic old town in the foreground, which underscores the prominence the fortress has above the city.





Finally, this picture was taken on April 15. This photo probably has my favorite color contrasts out of the five I've posted here. 


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