How NOT to Take a Trip to Salzburg

 This past weekend I went to Salzburg, Austria. It was an amazing trip with a friend I’ve made through IES Abroad. On one of the first mixers by the IES Abroad staff, we were asked for one place outside of Berlin we would like to see. We both said Austria, specifically Salzburg (for Sound of Music reasons). We decided to go this weekend because we only have two more weekends and wanted to spend the last weekend in Berlin. We met up to plan out the weekend. With our travel plans, excursions, and housing booked, we couldn’t wait!

We left early Friday morning on the train and planned to arrive in Salzburg in the afternoon. This didn’t happen. We were able to board our ICE train to Munich. An ICE is a high-speed train that serves central Europe. We had booked with Deutsche Bahn, which is the national railway company of Germany. I had heard some not so favorable opinions about the trains, but it was the most direct and was cheaper than flying. The rumors were true, at least during our trip. Our train to Munich was delayed two hours, so we missed our connection. We booked another connection, but were unsure if our tickets would transfer properly. We made it to Munich and found our platform. We got onto the next train which was a regional train for Austria. It was packed, but we managed to find seats. We made it to Austria, thinking that was the worst of it. If only. 

Salzburg was amazing. I cannot put into words how special of an experience it was. We had the very best time and I would love to return. After arriving in Salzburg later than planned, we walked 40-minutes to our hotel. We checked in and found our room. The hotel was great and air conditioned! We wanted to explore, but realized the 40-minute walk to the city center was a little longer than we had expected. We ended up buying the 24-hour public transportation ticket to get around. I’m so glad we did. It isn’t too expensive and the trolleybuses in Salzburg were great. We wandered the city center that night, finding a random restaurant to eat at and enjoying the gorgeous views. 

The next day was the main event: the Sound of Music bus tour! We had booked this in advance and couldn’t wait. I grew up with the movie and it has a special place in my heart. We booked the 2:00 P.M. slot, so we spent the first half of the day seeing the Altstadt (old city). This was wonderful! We also heard some dialect: Gruß Gott! It translates to God bless you, but is used as a way of saying hello. On the way to the bus tour meeting point, we got an email from Deutsche Bahn. Our train for the next day had been cancelled. We picked another alternative, hoping everything would be fine. We found a Backwerk for a quick lunch, but found out our alternative was also cancelled. It looked like the trains weren’t stopping at the Munich station, which we needed. We didn’t know what to do, so we decided to deal with it after the tour. 

The bus tour was everything. I highly recommend it. We got to see actual places from the movie, such as the Mirabellgarden where Do Re Mi was filmed. We also got to see the lake that was used as the backyard of the house and the church where Maria and the Captain got married. It was so cool and the tour guide was informative and funny. We had six stops, but the latter two were a 20-minute drive out of Salzburg. The bus ride was awesome. The view out of the window was breathtaking and we listened to music from the film. We got to see Mondsee which is used in the opening shots of the film. It was the most beautiful landscape I’ve ever seen. On the bus ride back we watched a short documentary of Charmian Carr, who plays Liesl, doing the tour! It was nice to relax and learn more. The tour was four hours and took us back to central Salzburg. 

 We then headed for dinner: the original Sachertorte. Sachertorte is a chocolate cake with a layer of apricot jam and a chocolate glaze. It was invented by Frank Sacher and is served all throughout Austria. However, the original recipe is still being served at the Sacher Hotel. We had made a reservation in the Café. The wait staff was friendly and the interior was lush and gorgeous. We started with main courses, then asked for the main event. The cake was absolutely delicious! It was presented beautifully and was so rich. It balanced sweetness and tartness so well. I’m so glad to have experienced this Austrian speciality. Salzburg was the absolute dream and I am so lucky to have gone. 

After an amazing day, we had to deal with our transportation dilemma. We had to make it back to Berlin. Back at the hotel, my friend was washing her face while I laid on the bed. I had been looking at alternative trains, but remembered a friend of ours had used a bus when she had traveled. I began looking at buses and found FlixBus. It was the company our friend had used and everything went well for her. I found a few, but they would all be late that night. My friend came out of the bathroom and asked me if I knew what FlixBus was. With the website actively open on my phone, I turned to her in shock. We decided it had to be a sign. We booked a bus back to Berlin. It wasn’t ideal times, but it would get us back earlier on Sunday and hadn’t cancelled on us three times. We took some time to rest, pack, and shower before heading to the bus station. 

Our bus left Salzburg at midnight and arrived in Munich at 2:30 A.M. The bus ride wasn’t bad and we were able to sit together. Most everyone just slept. Unfortunately, we had three hours in the Munich bus station before our next bus. The bus station is covered, but is outside. We could hear all the people partying and living as we tried not to fall asleep. Our bus came at 5:30 A.M. and as the sun rose, we began our journey back to Berlin. With every stop, I just told myself the closer we get, the easier it will be to figure something out if the bus fails. Luckily, the bus was perfect. My butt hurt after sitting for seven hours, but we made it back to Berlin. We know how to use the UBahn and made it back to our apartments. We ended up looking at the alternatives Deutsche Bahn had offered and all of them had been cancelled or delayed many hours. Thank you FlixBus.

Tips! 

1. If possible, always, always, always reserve a specific seat on trains or buses! It saves so much stress and ensures a more comfortable trip.
2. Don’t use the Deutsche Bahn. Kidding! All forms of transportation have the potential for mishaps, so research what is best for you. What potential problems will you handle best? Rebooking a new train three times? Use Deutsche Bahn! Randomly stopping at places that aren’t official stations? Use a bus!
3. Remember your passport. Even if you are going from Germany to Austria, you still need a passport as an International student. The Schengen Area is a group of countries that have eliminated passport checks for members of the area. While both are a part of the Schengen Area, this rule only applies to citizens of the countries within the area.
4. Have some excursions planned! If you know this is a specific place you want to see, plan it in advance. While it is way easier only planning for two people, always be upfront about what you want to see and make a plan beforehand.
5. Despite what I just said about plans, also spend time exploring! Wandering around Salzburg truly just filled me with awe of how beautiful it was. We wandered in the Altstadt and peered into shops. I couldn’t tell you how many times I saw a Mozart cardboard cutout. It was a great way to experience the city without stress. 

Last note related to traveling while abroad: I recommend spending the majority of your time in your chosen city! While it feels so much easier to see other places while abroad, your host city is also filled with amazing experiences and I recommend soaking up all your city has to offer. Berlin is such a cool city with so much to see. I’ve spent all but two weekends in Berlin, but I still have so much more to want to see. As my time in Berlin comes to an end, I do wish I had more time here and hope to come back one day. As for now, this is my last blog abroad! It’s been an amazing experience and I’ll tell you more when I’m back in the states. Auf Wiedersehen Berlin!