Salzburg (Weekend Part 2)

After spending Saturday in Heidelberg, I got up and took the train to Salzburg Sunday morning to meet up with my friend Liz for the next phase of the weekend.

On the train...not nearly as crowded on a Sunday morning

After arriving in Salzburg just after noon, we had to quickly find our hotel and drop off our bags so we could get to our first activity...the Sound of Music Tour!!!

Our hotel had rather interesting decor

We made it to the tour meeting spot just in time, and got on the bus with probably the largest group of Americans I've been around in months.  It was a little bizarre, but we had lots of fun seeing the sights and listening/singing to the soundtrack on the bus.

The Von Trapp House...although the front of the house is somewhere else entirely, but this is where they all fell into the lake and sat on the terrace having pink lemonade etc.

Liz and me

The Gazebo, which has been moved from it's original site at the house above and into a park. 

From Salzburg we drove up and out of the city and into the lake district with gorgeous little towns and lakes all around. 

Lake Wolfgang

The church in Mondsee where the Captain and Maria got married

Back in Salzburg at the Do Re Mi steps in the Mirabell Gardens

Looking towards the old part of town, with the fortress above

Upon recommendation from our tour guide, we decided to go to the Augustiner Bräustübl Tavern, where they have been brewing beer since 1621.  They have all sorts of little food booths where you can get a huge variety of meat, cheese, bread, salads, etc 

we got quite a bit of food to share...

The beer is served out of these giant barrels. 

After enjoying our dinner (and getting some recommendations for places to go in Innsbruck from our table mates) we decided to walk towards the old part of Salzburg and up towards the fortress

Taking the funicular up to the fortress

The view from the fortress

If you look in the left third of the picture, about halfway back, you can see the Sound of Music house sitting among the trees.

The fortress

Looking out over Salzburg

Since this was Sunday night (Pfingsten/Pentacost) there was a big church youth rally type thing up at the top of the fortress as the sun was setting over the mountains.

The next morning we had a more leisurely breakfast at a cafe in town, and then caught the train to Innsbruck! 

Heidelberg (Weekend Part 1)

This past weekend was a holiday here in Austria (as well as in the States), but here everyone was off for Pfingsten (Pentecost) so my friend Liz and I had planned a trip to Salzburg and Innsbruck for the second half of the long weekend about a month or so ago.  Last week I got an email from my good friend Becky saying that she was coming to Europe for a week (a bit of a spur of the moment thing), and would be in Heidelberg, Germany for the weekend and perhaps I could somehow fit it in my schedule to get up there to see her.  What fun is living in Europe if you don't take full advantage of the train system?!? So I booked a night train ticket for Friday night, so that I could hopefully sleep on the train and be in Heidelberg the same time she got there Saturday morning.

Waiting for the train Friday night in Vienna

My train was slightly delayed getting in to Vienna (it originated in Budapest), so by the time I got on about 12:20am everyone else in my little "couchette" car was asleep.  If you haven't had the pleasure of sleeping in a couchette car on a train, basically picture a closet with 3 shelves on each side (beds) that have little mats on them with blankets and pillows.  Your luggage goes on the sleeping shelf thing with you, or else the other people won't be able to get off their "beds".  Its actually not a terrible way to travel, much more comfortable than flying the red eye or sleeping on any plane really (unless you can afford lay flat seats in first class I suppose...but I've never been that fortunate).  I had to change trains in Munich, so about 20 minutes before the train arrived, they come wake everyone up and toss a juice box and a croissant in a bag at you.   

My train.  Sadly since everyone was asleep when I got on I didn't take a picture of the inside of the car, but I'm not sure you would be able to get any sort of good angle from inside the little compartment anyway.

The train station in Munich 

"breakfast" which was quickly supplemented with proper coffee which thankfully there is no shortage of around here.

I then got on my second train from Munich to Heidelberg, which is just under 3 hours.  Another quick nap and some reading and I was there.  The scenery out the window on all of these trains wasn't too shabby either!  I met Becky and Tyson at the train station, and since both of them have lived in Heidelberg previously, I basically had two personal tour guides to show me around.

Downtown Heidelberg

The Castle! We hiked up there after lunch.

Lunch

Me and Becky!  It was still so surreal to get to see Becky on such short notice, and so so wonderful!

Looking back at the castle from the bridge across the river.

Climbing up the 300+ stairs to the castle

Looking down at Heidelberg from the top

Tyson, Becky, and Me

After we walked down from the castle we decided it was probably about time for some Eiskaffee...yum.  The video below isn't great, but it's just us walking back down the main street in Heidelberg as the bells of the church are ringing 6pm.  We headed back to the hotel to freshen up a bit before meeting up with some of their friends who live in Heidelberg for dinner.  We had a lovely evening with very good food and great conversation.  

Sunday morning I was up early to catch my train to Salzburg to meet up with Liz! 

And the weekend continues...more to be posted later.