Smiles in Salzburg

Jon: Our final night in England was pretty restless. The folks above us were banging around until 2 in the morning, so our 4:45am cab pickup came all too early. We were greeted at the airport with some surprise check-in fees that soured our already questionable moods. We boarded the plane and braced for the next bit of Europe, fully expecting high prices and a fast pace. And then we landed in Salzburg, Austria.

The Salzburg Airport is modestly sized, at best. It was easy, calm, and exactly what we needed. Oh, the weather was picture perfect as well – clear skies and warm enough for shorts and flip flops. We picked up our rental car and magically navigated to our hotel, the Bloberger Hof. We felt odd driving into the country on a single width two-way road, but we made it to the hotel without issue. Amy is an excellent navigator! We opted to forgo the GPS, which I wondered about. However, we had some soon to be discovered technological luck on our side.

After a brief nap, we decided to go for a walk and get acquainted with our neck of the woods. Our short stroll turned into a magnificent hike. We walked all the way from our place in the country to the fortress that rises above the historical part of Salzburg. It was a brilliant time to be up there, as the fortress allows guests in for free after 5 in the evening and the sunlight was lighting up the fortress and town below. Awesome. By the time we got back to the hotel that night, we were famished. We had a brief wait to be seated for dinner and, despite our growling bellies, were not disappointed. Amy had some mushroom ravioli while I opted for the Weinerschitzel vom schwein. To top it off, we had a Stiegl beer that was fantastic.

After a solid breakfast the next morning, we headed back into historical Salzburg via the local bus. It was quick and easy. We walked all over the city to take in the amazing sights. We couldn’t leave without hiking up a hill across town from the fortress. We were able to see town, the river, and get a stunning view of the fortress with its mountain backdrop as the sun set. Dinner was easy – a street vendor selling bratwursts and fries (pommes).

The next morning was bittersweet. We really enjoyed our countryside stay at the Bloberger Hof and the sights in Salzburg, but we were off to a place that offered lots of promise as well…

Zell am See.

(Dates: October 3-5, 2015)