Day 13 & 14: Salzburg (Eric)

Day 13 & 14: June 9th and 10th, 2019. Since half of  the 9th was a travel day, and we’ve been a little busy, I decided to combine two days of adventure into one post. There’s so much to catch-up on, but I’m going to try to be as brief as possible. I’m currently writing this from a local laundromat, one of the downsides of lengthy travels is the necessity to clean clothes. Part of why I didn’t blog was because we were supposed to do laundry yesterday, but it was a national holiday, the celebration of Pentecost, and the laundromat was closed, so our plans changed. 

This reminds us of the number one rule in travel...

Anyway, on to Salzburg... this city is amazing. We arrived by train on the 9th and grabbed dinner at Pasta & Vino, a local Italian shop and restaurant. There was no menu. The owner gave us the option of ordering anti-pasta and a choice of three pastas. We had tiramisu for desert. It was an amazing meal. After dinner, we explored the city. I will just share some of the highlights in pictures, but if you ever get a chance to visit Salzburg, I highly recommend it. I would come back in a heartbeat. Jenny and I use the “could you live here test?” as a gauge for a place, and for both of us, it’s an emphatic “YES!”

Mirabell Garden

Bridge over the Salzach River (complete with inspirational signs and love locks)

The Birthplace of Mozart (this place is like Disneyland for Mozart - our hotel is even called The Mozart)

Old Town Salzburg

On to Day 14, with the laundromat failure in the morning, we explored the city a little more and then went to a cooking class where we learned to make apple strudel which apparently we’re not very good at. Ours definitely did not compare to the ones we had tried in restaurants. But it was a fun experience. The cooking school is literally built into the side of a mountain. 

After the cooking class, we wandered the city a little more seeing several more sights and even hopped on a river boat tour. By the way, if you’re in Salzburg and are planning on seeing the sights, buy a Salzburg Card. It covers most of the local museums and sights as well as the river boat tour and local busses. Anyway, here are a few more pictures from our wanderings. 

One of the awesome things about this city is that it’s a great place for people watching. It is a big tourist destination, but it’s also a very artistic city. The booths along the river above were filled with arts and crafts people selling their wares. 

I wanted to share our favorite tourist story. While we stopped to get some iced tea at Starbucks (a local chain - you’ve probably never heard of them). The girl below in front of the window had a photo shoot in front of Mozart’s Birthplace that lasted at least 20 minutes. It was making us both smile. 

Here’s a photo of one of the artistic types I mentioned earlier with his highly decorated bike. 

Last but not least, we spontaneously purchased a ticket to a concert featuring an ensemble playing music from Mozart and Vivaldi in one of the local palaces. The musicians were called Ensemble 1756 as they played on instruments that would have been around during Mozart’s time which make them fairly unique. It was a surreal experience, and the music was absolutely sublime. 

We also had a small world experience. First, there was a family from Savannah, Georgia who attended the cooking class from earlier who were at the same concert. Then, as I was typing this blog, a couple came into the laundromat, and after striking up a conversation with them we learned were also at the same concert. It’s experiences like this, amongst many other things, that make travel fun. No photos were allowed during the concert, but here are some inadequate pictures of the venue. 

One final message as Jenny and I go off to experience another adventure for today. We thought this sign was particularly appropriate. Bye for now...