Adventures in Europe: Salzburg, Austria

I took the train east from Feldkirch yesterday afternoon to Salzburg. My hotel is a short walk from the Bahnhof towards the Salzach River, which divides Salzburg in two. After checking in and grabbing a doner, I walked along the river to the old town. 

It was a lovely walk, and there were many people out walking and biking and so on. As I approached the old town, I also realized there was a large running race about to happen—apparently a “corporate challenge” type of event. This really brought an up-beat vibe to the cobbled streets and squares. 

Salzburg is most famous as the home of Mozart, and so, naturally, a major square in the old town is called Mozartplatz.

I purchased and mailed a postcard, and then somewhat spontaneously decided to climb up to the castle above the old town. 

As I climbed I left most of the crowds behind, and in many places had the cliffs and fortress remnants (walls, towers) to myself.  

This (now abandoned) castle even has a mini-vineyard on the hillside!

Eventually I reached more-or-less a dead end where a little hotel and restaurant has taken over one of the old towers, and decided this was the perfect place for a drink. 

The old town (and most of Salzburg!) was spread out below me as I enjoyed a beer up here.

My hotel, “The Keep Eco Residence,” has a vegan restaurant that was offering a buffet and live music, so I ate dinner there. 

Consistent with their “eco” theme, the rooms are designed with what I suppose could be called a “green” aesthetic?

I was expecting rain today, but when I woke up it was not raining (although it had stormed overnight), so I hurried out to have breakfast at a café on the Mozartplatz. 

Something interesting to note about outdoor dining in Austria is that they require proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test (or proof that you have recently recovered from COVID). In contrast, in Switzerland, they just brought in rules around this, but outdoor dining is exempt.

After breakfast the forecast said rain in 20 minutes, but I decided to press my luck and crossed the river to climb the Kapuzinerberg—pretty much a little mountain right in the middle of the city, and directly across from the castle. It is very visible in this picture from where I had my beer last night.

This was an invigorating climb, and again I had it mostly to myself. The views to the west and north were spectacular! 

Moreover, I made it back down and all the way back to my hotel before the rain started!