Salzburg is only 2 hours by regional train from München. Somehow in my head I pictured the distance as much greater, probably influenced by the Sound of Music and my perception that Salzburg is nestled in the alps. In reality, Salzburg lies at the edge of the giant plain north of the alps and you can easily do a day trip into the mountains for hiking or skiing. I have doubts about how the family Von Trapp did such a short drive to able to flee up and over the alps into Switzerland when Germany is a 5 km walk from Salzburg and Switzerland a days train ride. Nonetheless it is a beautiful town split by the Salzach River. The altstadt is tucked between the river and high cliffs and the rest of the city sits on the other side of the river and the side of the cliffs. After being in bustling München, Salzburg seemed excessively quiet my first evening. I found the tourist area, but couldn't figure out where everyone else was and after much searching found dinner at a small vegan Indian restaurant that like most other restaurants was closing up at 8:30 - 9.
I spent my first day in Salzburg just wandering around. My personal quest was to find out where people in Salzburg actually lived since I wasn't convinced that they lived in the touristy, cute aldstadt. I found the tunnel through the cliffs and discovered a whole new part to town and spent a few hours walking back out and around trying to get a feel for the land, keeping the giant fortress in view as my landmark. I wandered past old house, new houses, the university, a grand estate, neighborhood park, and back along the river. By the time I got back to the main part of town I was chilly and hungry and took refuge in a cafe before checking out this quaint cemetery tucked between St. Peters Church and the massive cliffs. My other favorite find was the set of town weather instruments, perfectly placed for the Heid family.
Given that I was in the land of Mozart in winter I couldn't turn down the chance to see the Vienna Symphony in concert. I bought a ticket at the door and sat in the very front row of the Großsaal in the Salzburg concert house and heard a lovely concert of Mozart and Brahms. The concert house is cool because it is built right into the massive cliffs.
My other main goal for Salzburg was to get out and do some hiking. It started snowing as I went to bed after the concert and I woke up to 5-6 inches of fresh snow, quite a change after our exceptionally warm weather earlier in the week in München. Oddly all the available information directed me back into this little "peninsula" of Germany that sticks into Austria called Berchtesgaden. It was only 40 minutes away by bus and stunningly beautiful. I toured a salt mine and learned about the business, blissfully spent the afternoon soaking in warm water and gazing at the snow covered hills at the thermal bath, and ended the day with a 5km fast hike through the river valley to Königsee. By the time I got to Königsee it was dark, but I could see how it would be summertime paradise with a boat that takes you up and down the lake and can drop you off for hiking. If you look close on the house you can see it says Moser house. Not spelled exactly right, but still a fun find.
The next day was my train trip through Austria. I didn't have time to do a winter ski trip, but I went back into Germany although on the OBB(Österreich Bundes Bahn), through Innsbruck, and then up and over the mountains to end up Bregenz at Lake Constance(Bodensee) and then quickly cross the border to spend the night in Lindau. The part from Innsbruck to Lake Constance was beautiful as we squeezed through the narrow valley and I got glimpses up to the high meadows and peaks. Lindau is a little island in the Bodensee, that I assume is swarmed with tourists in the summer. The hotels along the water resembled beach front hotels where people while away the afternoons eating ice cream as they look out onto the water. After sitting all days on the train I braved the icy winter wind for a walk around the island and eventually found a local inn for a warm meal. I wanted to soak up the minutes of lakes with mountain backdrops knowing that I would eventually be heading back to Berlin, which while an amazingly interesting city is devoid of hills and mountains.
After my traditional guesthouse German breakfast in Lindau, I walked back to the train station, snapped these two pictures of the tower and harbor and headed off to meet Claire at her friend Sabine's house in Villingen, a small town nestled in the Black Forest. Another lovely ride from the east end to the west end of the Bodensee, almost to Konstanz before heading north into the forest. We had our only day of cross country skiing with Sabine and her family. Lucky for us the weather had gotten cold again and they had fresh snow followed by sunshine. Cross country skiing is such a complete workout and we got to follow it the next day with a rejuvenating swim. A great end to our January adventure.
