Austria

Salzburg

This was one of my most favorite places of the trip. Unfortunately, the weather was not in our favor for most of it, but it did clear up for a bit so we were able to walk around Salzburg for a while.

We stayed at the best place...Pension Katrin. Would highly recommend this place if you go to Salzburg and need a place to stay. The host was fabulous....you could ask her any question and she could tell you where, the distance and how long it would take you to get there. She recommended good local places to check out within our price range and close by. Also, was super accommodating when she found out we had to leave before the normal time breakfast was served so she had breakfast set up for us so we could eat before we headed to our next location. It was kinda like having a mom around since she pretty much greeted us, wanted to hear what we were doing that day, just made things as comfortable as possible.

Anyways, our first night we asked for a good, local, cheap place to eat and she recommended a place called Triangle. We tried the schnitzel with parsley potatoes and cranberry sauce. Other than hearing them beat the already dead meat, it was fantastic suggestion. Although, I felt a bit sad that old ladies were out eating me and I had been walking/traveling all day.....those are the times I wished I could take a to go box home. It was super delicious.

There is a huge fortress that seems to be in the middle of town, that you can climb to or if you want to be lazy you can take the funicular...pretty much a little box that goes up a track to the top. It had a fantastic view once you get to the top. We found someone that spoke English and had them take a picture of us so it looked like we liked each other and to prove we were there.

The next day we decided go to the Eagle's Nest, built as a retreat for Hitler. It is built high in the mountains of Bavaria. You have to take a special bus to get up to the top where you had to walk through a tunnel to ride in a golden elevator up to the top.
Had it been a clear day, I am sure the view would have been spectacular, but alas it was cloudy, rainy, snow and a dense fog. Bought some postcards that showed the great view of what you would have seen. We caught our bus back down to Bavaria to catch another bus back to Salzburg. We found a little bakery and bought a treat and waited for our bus.
Once we were back in Salzburg the skies had cleared a bit so we headed to Mirabell Gardens....most people would know this from the Sound of Music. The Pegasus fountain and the hedges where Maria and the Von Trapp children run through. Sorry friends there was no singing or prancing from me. Ellie did do a little kick up your hills run but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Although, I did see a nun and really wanted her to break out into song. We walked around the gardens for a bit and then went to find the marionette theater to see if a show was going to play that night.....sorry Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night Dream was a no go for us....we were looking for a little Sound of Music.
We had to grab some dinner so would be...of course some brats bought from a street vendor who did not speak any English. Good thing you just have to say Bratwurst and she understands that.

There is something about Austria...maybe the hills are alive. Definitely a place I need to go back and visit...only scratched the surface in Salzburg and there is still Vienna!