Salzburg: The City of Love

My last trip during my time in Vienna was an extended weekend in Salzburg. I have been hearing about Salzburg for my entire life, and when I lived in Munich as a kid, we would frequently spend time in Salzburg as it is the city where my parents met and fell in love. They studied abroad in college too, and spent a whole year in Salzburg, so they sent me to all of their old hang outs. I went with my friend, Nora, and we had a fabulous weekend. Here are some of the highlights:

Mozart Geburtshaus:

Nora and I are both musicians, and so we of course had to visit the Mozart family apartment where W.A. Mozart was born. There are music related historical spots all over Central Europe, but there was something really surreal about standing in the room where the birth of Mozart took place. It was so cool to learn about the childhood of one of my favorite composers.

Augustiner bräu:

This is one of the oldest breweries in Europe, and is Austria’s largest tavern. The beer is stored in wooden barrels, and served in stone jugs. There are lots of individually run selling traditional Austrian food, so you can try lots of different things. My favorite was the cheese stand where I accidentally ordered way more beer cheese than I could possibly eat by myself, so Nora and I shared. 

Hallstatt: 

Nora and I took a day trip to a town called Hallstatt which is actually two hours away from Salzburg by train. Hallstatt sits on a lake, and is very beautiful and picturesque. Hallstatt is famous for salt production, and is home to the salt mines. We wandered the town and I bought some traditional pottery to take home to my family. 

Hellbrunn:

This is a palace in Salzburg known for its trick fountains and waterworks. If you go on the tour, prepare to get splashed. I remembered going to Hellbrunn as a kid and loving it, so we had to check it out on this trip. The famous gazebo from the film “The Sound of Music” is also stored on the grounds of this palace, so we were able to see it.  We made a point to watch the movie in preparation for our trip. Hellbrunn was one of the major film sites, and we recognized its yellow walls from one of the scenes in the movie.

Cable Cars:

We took a hanging cable car up the side of a mountain. The summit was snow covered and had a beautiful view of the city. We did not stay long because it was cold, but it was a really cool experience. 

I loved Salzburg. I think it might be a new favorite city, and it was amazing to revisit a place I spent time in as a little kid and to see where my parents were studying at my age. I left my hostel locker lock on the Marko-Feingold bridge for them, since I really don’t need it anymore.