June 23-27, 2019

I missed my FlixBus ($24.09, usually €29.99) -completely my fault- leaving Milan and had to rebook for $96.98. Expensive mistake but I did have a chance encounter and was able to help an Iranian family of three. Once I arrived in Salzburg, Austria, I walked from the main train station (Salzburg central station [Lastenstraße]) to Yoho International Youth Hostel (€26.67/night).

A guidebook I read said, “The joke ‘if it’s baroque, don’t fix it’ is a perfect maxim for Salzburg, the tranquil Old Town burrowed in below steep hills looks as much as it did when Mozart lived here 250 years ago.”

I had some really good beer and a lot of filling food in my few days there. Here are some of my favorites:

• Walk around to the touristy shops along the cobbled streets and 17th-century buildings. It has some of the best examples of Baroque architecture in the world. I really liked browsing at Christmas in Salzburg, which has uniquely painted eggs, and Hanna Trachten, which has beautiful local dresses.
• Walk up to the medieval Feshtung Hohensalzburg (fortress) high above and pay €10 to go in to see the museums and outstanding view. The puppets were a personal favorite of mine.
• Across the fast-flowing Salzach River, is the baroque Mirabellgarten, surrounded by gorgeous manicured gardens. Nearby is Zwerglgarten, a dwarf garden, which is better seen than explained.
• Great coffee and internet at both Afro Cafe and 220 Grad.
• Have a sit in Furtwänglerpark to see the large pickle statues.
• Have a beer and rich food at Die Weisse / Sudwek. You’ll find big schnitzels, hearty pork knuckles with sauerkraut, spatzel, and traditional soups in the winter. For something sweet, try a strudel or the national favorite, nockerl.
• Mozart has two museums here, including the house he was born in, but I did not check out either.
• I followed these great instructions to go to Hallstatt for the day. I took the 90-minute bus 150 from Salzburg to Bad Ischl (leaves the from Stall ‘F’ at the bus depot in front of Salzburg’s central train station) for €10.80. Then, a 30-minute train (€5.50) and 10-minute ferry (€6 roundtrip) to Hallstatt. It’s a beautiful place to walk around and go up to the Skywalk (€18 roundtrip). 
• If I return, I would consider going from Bad Ischl to Obersee instead, as it looked beautiful as I passed on the train. Also, other nearby places to see include Mondsee, St. Wolfgang, Fuschlsee, and Königssee.