Our arrival into Salzburg was pretty flawless. It was fun for me to learn how the train system works and see the amazing landscapes along the way. When we arrived, we hopped in a cab because a two mile urban hike with all our gear would have been rough.
Our cab driver dropped us off near our street and we walked down to the apartment where we would be staying. We were greeted by a great guy, also named Michael, and an enormous iron door. He spoke of the history of the place as we walked up the four flights of cement stairs.
Out first day, we walked the streets to get our bearings. Salzburg is such a beautiful city. We forgot to eat lunch so we were pretty hungry and ate at little place down the street where we met a couple from Canada, basically taking our same journey in reverse. Afterward, we took in some of the sights and had a Mozart Ball or two and then went looking to grab a drink.
It was difficult to settle on the perfect place for our drink. We even walked in and out of a couple of places (Lindsay loved that). We did, finally, land at one of our favorite bars of the trip - Chez Roland. The building was 900 years old and the bar was in the basement – similar to a cave. We sat at the bar and the waitress was very kind and resembled Gwyneth Paltrow. Another fellow came in a sat with us and even gave us both a Mozart Ball. We sat there listening to the locals chatter on and a great new artist play on the speakers. We were pretty burnt after that and called it a night, but it was a fun to see the city at night on the walk back to our place.
The next day we were up early for The Sound of Music Tour. We both enjoyed ourselves and had a great tour guide who was very knowledgeable on the history of the city and the Von Trapp family. We stopped at several of the filming locations and took photos. One of the best stops was outside the city in the lake district where we had amazing pastries and chatted with our older tour companions. We also took a ride on the summer toboggan.
The tour took a big chunk of the day but we kept going strong and went on the self-guided Fortress tour. The Fortress is really a smaller city on a very large cliff. The history and layout of the building was fascinating along with an incredible view and free wifi to FaceTime Jim & Shannon. We had a beer and chatted with a great couple from California. He was a firefighter and she was a cop and they told us of their travels and fun adventures they’ve been on in years past.
Beaten down by touristic activities, we rallied and refreshed at home and walked out to Augustinerbräu, an amazing brewery. We took a little hike as the sun was setting and played in a fitness park, so we earned those liter beers in the garden of the brewery.
The stumble home was fun and we even ran into our older Sound of Music companions who suddenly didn't seem so old. One for the ditch next door to our apartment and off to bed.
The next day was boiling with tension from the start. We walked about an hour to a car rental place and had some trying times in getting them to give us the car. We managed, but I had to drive and Lindsay navigated (which she’s very good at.) I was starving and sitting in traffic made me highly unpleasant.
When traffic opened up, we were in the country and I began to feel better. We arrived in Berchtesgaden and I was on a mission to attain nourishment. We stopped at a great cafe and I ordered soup and an omelet. An omelet that took 30 minutes to make, but was worth every second. It was more of a crepe, filled with delicious garlicky mushrooms. Lindsay was jealous.
Finally, we hopped back in the car and headed to the Eagles Nest – one of Hitler’s hideaways. Technically, it was a gift to him from the Nazi party on his 50th birthday. I’d like a mountaintop getaway for my 50th as well, please! The bus ride up the mountain was nerve racking, but beautiful. When we got to the top the views were unlike anything I had ever seen. We walked into the mountain through a long tunnel to a gold plated elevator that took us up to the Eagles Nest. After getting away from all the tourists, we found ourselves on a rather difficult hike immersed in nature. The swirling clouds would come in and out and the air was fresh and clean. A difficult moment occurred when I wanted to continue the hike and Lindsay did not, but we compromised and no one was pushed to their death.
We were beat on the way back down, but we continued in the car to the Konigsee - a picturesque little town that offered us yet another trial. It was difficult deciding on taking the boat ride and parking the car. Don't ask. We ate, took a little hike to a lake outlook and grabbed an ice cream cone.
Lindsay manned the vehicle on the way back and it was a long walk to the apartment. We were exhausted and sore and couldn't get ourselves back up to venture out for the evening.
Perhaps the most spontaneous day thus far began with me taking a little walk through town as Lindsay got ready for the day. It was the warmest day so far with not a cloud in the sky. I walked through the local market full of bread, cheese, and tons of other delicious foods. After the walk, I went back to the apartment and Lindsay and I headed out for a day of biking. We rode around the fortress, back to the rear facade of the Sound of Music house, and through Hellbrunn Palace, where we had a delicious lunch and walked the grounds. After a fun tour, we made our way to Stiegl Brewery.
Stiegl is the best brewery I had ever been through. We met a bar owner, Georg, who poured us some free beers and then we took an interactive tour with another couple. The grounds were amazing and the history of the brewery was astounding. Stiegl was founded in 1492. Sound familiar? (The year Columbus discovered America?)
We had our free samples of beer and in that time our good friend Georg came back by and continued to give us more free beer. We sat with a great family – Michael, Selma and their kids Elias & Amelia - and shared stories of our fabulous cities. Needless to say we stayed a long time, drank many beers, and eventually biked back to the city.
We bought a lock and put it on the bridge – you know…to make sure we stay married forever. Finally, we were hungry for dessert and ended up at some trendy Red Bull bar with no desert, so we both had a terrible mixed drink and then found some delicious apple strudel.
The next morning, we were heading to Garmisch, but we were sad to leave Salzburg.
