Salzburg

I didn't plan on going to Austria on this trip, but I somehow made it back. The last time I was in Austria was 12 years ago. And I only made it to Vienna on that trip. After hearing such great things about Salzburg, I just had to go for a few days. 

I arrived in Salzburg pretty quickly after leaving Regensburg. And I was staying near the train station, so I had a seamless check-in. After dawdling a bit and stopping at H&M, I went to find food. I had thoughts about heading towards the Old Town, but after a short walk, I decided to turn around and settle for a place near the hostel. The food was alright, but I was still hungry after. Good thing I have a small supply of food that I travel with. I settled in for the evening and planned out the next few days.

The first thing I did, was book a bike tour of Salzburg. The Sound of Music bike tour. The following morning, I met up with other The Sound of Music enthusiasts. As we introduced ourselves, we had to say what our favorite song was. Now I haven't seen the movie in a while, but "Do-Re-Mi" came to mind first. So that was my favorite song for the day. Which was good since I actually remembered most of the words as we sung the song throughout the tour.

We  started the tour in the city and went around to the various filming locations. Again, it's been a while since I've seen the movie, so I didn't recall a bunch of these scenes. It really just reminded me it was time to see the movie again.

Salzburg.

Residenzplatz.

Petersfriedhof.

Schloss Leopoldskron, one of the Von Trapp's fictional homes.

The hills are alive.

Mirabell Gardens.

After biking along Maria Von Trapp's life, my new friend Cason, who is from Georgia, and I grabbed some wurst for lunch, and then headed to Untersberg, a nearby mountain. The mountain was also featured in The Sound of Music.  After a bus ride to the foot of the mountain, we rode a cable car up to the snowy peaks. Earlier that morning, I hadn't anticipated hiking and playing in snow. But to be honest, I wouldn't have been able to do much about it since I was wearing as many layers as I could.

When we arrived at the top, we did about a 45 minute hike. Since there was snow on the path and some of it was pretty steep, I definitely fell on my butt a lot. At some points, I just gave in, and slid down the path. It was fun being in the snow for sure. It made up a little for missing last winter.

Top of Untersberg. 

It was really beautiful up at the top and we had some amazing views. And one thing I was quickly learning, there was always a lodge at the top of every mountain. So of course we grabbed a beer before the last cable car went down the mountain.

Playing in the snow.

After returning to Salzburg, we got dinner at a local restaurant to enjoy some local fare and beer. To cap off the night, we got a great view of the city again, but all lit up this time.

Salzburg at night. 

The following morning, I went for a run along the Salzach River. I'm loving all the cities with paths along their rivers. Make it's a way more pleasant experience for running. And they usually have amazing views.

Salzburg mornings.

Later that morning, I explored a little bit more of Salzburg before taking a trip out of town for a few hours. With every river, there is a bridge. And with every bridge, there are countless locks of love. Seriously. Everywhere. It's sweet. The lock industry must be doing well.

Locks of Love.

I then had to find the birthplace of Mozart. And I also added Amadeus to my list of movies to watch again. 

Mozart's birthplace.

After grabbing some lunch, I met up with my new friend Cason, and we took a bus to Hallstatt, one of the most picturesque towns in all of Austria. Or at least what I'm told. The first thing we did was take the tram up the mountain to see the town from above. The views were stunning.

Hallstatt down below.

We had a limited time in Hallstatt, so made our way back down the mountain and went along Hallstatter See to get the picture that everyone takes when they visit.

Hallstatt.

Before I knew it, we had to leave. We were the last ones on the bus. Whoops. I could have spent hours there wandering the narrow streets. I had originally looked into spending the night, but it was way too expensive. Like a few hundred dollars. I hope someday I can return.

One last picture.

We returned to Salzburg and promptly got some glühwein at an outdoor wine market. We hung out for a little bit, but then headed to Augustiner Bräu. There is a brewery in Germany, but this one is specific to Austria. I figured I was due for a liter of beer since fully recovering from Oktoberfest. We made some new friends, and we swear we didn't drink all those liters.

So many liters.

Liters with new friends.

My last morning in Salzburg was beautiful. I spent it hiking up the hills behind the Old Town to check out all the churches. I definitely could have spent more time in Salzburg. But it was time to move on.

The city's churches.

Off to Innsbruck.