A Quick Stop In Salzburg

 

To break up my trip as going from Slovenia straight to Germany would be much, although I hadn't realised that there was a train that could take you from Ljubljana to Munich. I found a way of taking the train from Bled to Salzburg as I thought it would be a good idea to see it. I walked from my hostel to the idyllic train station in Bled, the train station had no departure board but I knew I had to get the train to Jesenice. 

The wait at the Yugoslav train station in Jesenice felt like ages, yet again, there were no departure boards and I guessed which platform the train would be based on where everyone else was standing. I got on the train and found out that it was actually going to Salzburg directly which was convenient and during the long journey, I couldn't stop looking out the window, looking at the Alps was simply astonishing. 

Finally, I arrived in Salzburg and before heading off to my hostel, I grabbed a Maccies for lunch which was significantly more expensive than it was in Slovenia and it was then that I found that this wasn't a cheap city. After dropping my bag off, it was time to go exploring, of course I walked up to Fortress Hohensalzburg, the castle on the hill which overlooks the city and can be seen from the streets below. 

The views of the incredibly architecture can be seen from atop the hill and once you get to the top of the hill you can go inside of the castle whose museum has a lot of history to do with the history of the castle and the Austro Hungarian Empire. It's worth the price of admission and you can even go to the top of the tower to get some amazing 360 vistas of the whole city. 

Unfortunately, when I got out of the castle and back to the main streets it started to rain heavily, while spending a lot of time trying to shelter from the rain, I eventually found a decent Japanese place where I had a ramen for dinner. I then headed back to my hostel to get away from the rain and met a few people in the common room there.

The next day after some needed sleep, I was ready to see some more of the city, my first stop was Mozart's birthplace, right in the middle of the city it now stands as a museum about the composer's life. As Salzburg isn't a cheap city, the admission for students is 10 euros which is a little steep. Inside of the house it explains the whole life of Mozart until he died at such a young age, you can also see some of his possessions and relics such as instruments. 

 

A short walk away is the Mirabell Palace and on the river in the middle of the city is a bridge with locks all over it, there is actually only one place you can enter into Mirabell Palace and it is very immaculate, the main place to see are the gardens where you can see the some fine and well maintained European architecture. 

 Then I decided to walk up to the Kapuzinerberg hill which is on the other side of the river from the castle. I have to say it's worth walking up here, but you must be prepared for quite an uphill walk, however, when you finally go through all the steep paths, the views are amazing. You can get some brilliant views of the city and see the huge alps in the background. When I got back down to the streets I headed to a convenience store to find a drink to kill my first and came across Almdudler. It is considered Austria's national drink and is made from herbal extracts. It tastes really sweet, but I'd recommend giving a try if you come to Austria. 

To top it off, I found a decent restaurant to tuck into some wienerschnitzel, a dish that would be native to Austria and is simply pork in breadcrumbs served with chips. It is absolutely delicious and something you must try when you have the chance. I then headed back to the bar in my hostel to watch the champions league final and had some drinks.

I have to say that Salzburg is a fantastic little city with authentic European architecture, just like Ljubljana it is nice and small so that you can walk everywhere more or less. My only criticism is that it isn't such a perfect destination for backpackers, it is far from cheap.