Salzburg, Austria: The Hills are Alive

Pin It When you get to Salzburg, you immediately start singing tunes from the Sound of Music. It just comes out, you can't even stop yourself.  Though most Salzburger's have never even seen the movie, I am sure they are perfectly content to rake in the American tourist dollar from the popular broadway musical/movie (if it suits you there are several tours, specifically designed to see the sites from the movie, or what the movie is based on).  A beautiful old town, loads of shopping streets, great food,wine and beer, a fortress that overlooks the city and the Alps, and an easy side trip to the countryside all make Salzburg an ideal place for visitors.

We started by walking through the old town.  Notice all the wrought iron signs, indicating the shops.  Though most of the main chain stores have now moved into old town, it is still a wonderful stroll.

While the weather was still nice (we had one day of REALLY great weather and spent most of it driving, but it was the day we arrived to Salzburg), we wanted to get the views from the Fortress.  So we headed in that direction, and walked up.  The walk isn't too intimidating and a good way to burn off all of the schnitzel and beer we had been indulging in thus far.

 Worth the walk.  The city view:

And the Alps view (Note: the views on this leg of the trip keep getting better and better):

 

 We had some beers at the top.....

 ...followed by a giant pretzel.  Life is good.  Ask the Taste Tester.

In the evening we enjoyed traditional fare and it was delish.  Veal Schnitzel anyone?  If you are going to the area I can recommend a few great restaurants, just comment below (this was the best schnitzel I had all trip)!  The side salad makes you feel a little better about continuously eating meat and potatoes. When in Austria!  Of course, a Weiss Beer on the side for me, please! Perfect end to our first day in Salzburg.   Danke Shoen!

 Day 2: Berchtesgaden Country Side

Though there is lots to do in the city, our hearts were set on a day in the Alps and the nearby countryside.  It was supposed to start raining in the afternoon, so we got an early start to the day and luckily just beat the rain!  We ended up going to Germany on this side trip, and stopped in Berchtesgaden by lake Königssee (about 15 miles outside of Salzburg).   We took the Jennerbahn cable car up the Alps.

 View on the way up:

The view halfway up.  We didn't realize how high up we were actually going

And after about 20 minutes, we made it to the top.  Breathtaking!

Of course, we enjoyed the view with a beer!  (I think there is a trend going on here)  The views here definitely confirmed our desire to go on an Alps ski trip.  Not sure where yet, Austria, Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy?!  Decisions, decisions and not a bad decision to have to make.

And an idea I saw on  pinterest, original source unknown, (wish I had seen this a long time ago, it is so genius!):

and jumping pics are the best!

 We headed back down on the jennerbahn, and walked over to Lake Königssee.  Where we took a seat on the shore and watched the ducks.  Until the bad weather rolled in.  We made it to our car just in time, and headed back to Salzburg.

We were a little tired from our adventures of the day, so we got jacked up on some Viennese coffee and tried out some Mozart Balls.  Although I think Belgian chocolate is better, Mozart's Balls were pretty good, too ;)






Then we ventured off into a rainy Salzburg for the evening.  Why does rain always look so romantic in the movies?  It's not, but we still had a good time.  We passed this cow on the way to our next stop.  I really like cows, particularly this one:

Next stop was the Augustiner Braustubl, which is a beer hall where you can bring in your own picnic if you want.  There are also food booths set up, if you get hungry but forgot to plan ahead.  The hall was filled with locals and tourists alike. We joined a few locals at a large table.  Two old men and an old women, just enjoying a few liters on a Wednesday afternoon.  We spoke with them a little, but as my German is pretty much non-existent, and their little English, we ran into a language barrier.  However, we prosted a few times and had some laughs.  Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.  The best part is they still serve beer in the ceramic mugs (unlike the Hoffbrau Haus in Munich).  

We walked back through the old town, to find the restaurant we were planning on eating at.

We arrived at St. Paul's Stub'n where we had some more great traditional food.  It is close to the bottom of the fortress and highly recommended if you are in the area.  We asked in a souvenir shop since we were having a bit of a problem finding it, where they gladly helped us on our way. 

Paul got Roasted Pork, that fell apart in your mouth.  I ordered the Toast topped with beef, turkey, bacon and an egg over easy.  Amahzing.  The side salad was also delish and came with a variety of veggies.   Perfect end to our last evening in Salzburg! 

Have you been to the area?  What was your favorite part? 

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