Salzburg

After a later night (for us and the kids, anyway) at the Hobrauhaus last night, the alarm went off way too early. We dragged ourselves out of bed and down to breakfast, which is included with our room.






German breakfasts are definitely different than those in Italy. There were different types of cold meats that we tried, and couldn't identify, along with German pasties and cakes, fruit, cheese, cereal, jams, and pickles. There was a pot of Nescafé coffee on our table, which was nowhere near as good as what we had gotten spoiled with in Italy, but brought back memories of our previous trips to Disney World. Since Disney only serves Nescafé, a reoccurring conversation during our trips there every year involves complaining about craving a "real" cup of coffee.

We went right to the main train station after breakfast and used a ticket machine to purchase a "Bayern Ticket" which allows all for of us to ride all regional trains for a day in Bavaria for 26 Euro. The ticket was good for both the trip to Salzburg and the return.




We boarded the train about 20 minutes before it was scheduled to leave, and already found it crowded. Abby sat with Lori, and Michael sat with me.

We enjoyed the two hour ride past lakes, small Bavarian villages, and pretty countryside. The kids enjoyed sitting on the top of the double-decker train.

About halfway through the trip I went down to use the bathroom on the train. While I was waiting for a German woman to finish, a Japanese woman who apparently didn't speak English or German walked in front of me, not realizing I was in line. As she reached for the door I said quickly "someone's in there" but it was too late (and I don't think she understood me anyway). She pressed the button, and the automatic door started opening. The horrified German woman, still finishing her business, started screaming things that neither me nor the Japanese woman could understand. The Japanese woman frantically and unsuccessfully tried to fight the door to close it. Soon the door was wide open, German swear words were flying, and the Japanese woman was frantically pressing buttons trying to close the door. The young German bike group behind me (and myself) tried hard not to laugh, but we had no success. It was one of the funniest things I had ever seen.





When we got to Salzburg we exited the station and decided to walk to the center of town. After a few minutes we turned and fortuitously found that we had wandered into Mirabell Garden. It was beautiful, and the kids remembered the gardens from The Sound of Music. We walked through towards the Salzach River.











We crossed a bridge and decided to seek out the Saturday market in the Universitaetsplatz for lunch. It was such a good decision.





We started by sharing a roasted vegetable strudel and a few cakes made of potatoes and cheese. They were so delicious.



Next we found a stand that seemed to be mobbed with locals, so we figured that it had to be good. We shared some of the best fried chicken I've ever tasted, and potato salad that was to die for. We were all full, and the total cost of lunch came to less than 12 Euro.



We left the market and found our way to Mozartplatz, where our Rick Steves walking tour began.









Soon we found ourselves at the Cathedral, which was beautiful. It was pretty amazing to think that the organ we were looking at was played by Mozart for two years. In terms of awe-inspiring churches, only St. Peter's in the Vatican has topped the Salzburg Dom on this trip.












Next on the tour was Kapitalplatz, which was filled with live music and nicknack vendors. Abby picked up a charm for her bracelet.






We made our way towards St. Peter's Cemetery, passing a waterwheel on the way.


The Cemetery was tucked in behind the cliff and beautiful with lots of black wrought iron, flowers, and centuries-old churches surrounding it. We walked through, the kids again instantly recognizing it from the Sound of Music.






We were hoping to see the inside of St. Peter's Church, but when we got to the door there was a sign saying that it was closed for touring due to a service. Through the doors we could see a wedding taking place.



We walked back through the market, buying an apple-struedel pretzel to share. We then turned on to the Getreidegasse, Salzburg's main shopping street. It still has black wrought iron signs hanging over each business, just like it did in medieval times.








We finished our tour and then set out to find an internet cafe. We needed to book our tickets for our tour at Neuschwanstein Castle before 5PM in order to not wait in line tomorrow. The place we found was a dingy looking, small shop near the cliffs, but it did the trick. They charged 2 Euro for an hour of access, but I was done in 10 minutes.

After that was taken care of, we found a nice cafe at which we could rest. The kids were getting a bit tired. We ordered them Hot Chocolate, and got Lattes for ourselves. When I asked if mine could be iced, my waitress looked at me like I had two heads. I used my limited German to try and explain I wanted my latte cold. She said she understood, but still had a look of incredulity on her face as she left.

When she came back I got a hot latte with a cup of ice. I guess that's what I get for ordering something so American. Lori and I both got a chuckle.

I had wanted to take the funicular to the top of Moenchsburg, but all of us were feeling tired and done, so we walked along the Salzach for a bit, and the kids played in a park for a bit. Then we found a bus back to the train station.





The kids napped most of the train ride back to Munich. I wrote the first part of this post.












When we arrived back in Munich, we decided to get dinner at the small biergarten in the Viktualienmarkt. Lori and I split ein Mass of Helles, and we all shared schnitzel, wurst, sauerkraut, and potato salad.

We went to bed earlier than the last few nights because tomorrow we've got to catch an early train to make our reservation for a tour of Neuschwanstein Castle. After the tour we're planning on luging through the Alps, and taking a cable car up a mountain. It should be a fun day!

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Location:Zweigstraße, Munich, Germany