Playful Rooted

In case you missed it, check out EuroChristmas Part One: Munich.

The first thing I noticed when Ben and I arrived in Salzburg, Austria was the mountains!! We are both Colorado natives, so we go a little crazy over mountains. No matter where I am in the world, mountains make it feel like home.

The second thing I noticed was how incredibly charming Salzburg is. It’s a cozy, small town with people walking everywhere. Not too much traffic, and not too many people, either. It’s just perfect!

We only spent two days in Salzburg, but they were so delightful. The first day, we went to lunch at the Heart Of Joy Cafe. They serve vegetarian and vegan food, the servers are extremely friendly, and everyone is happy to speak English.

After a long, leisurely lunch, Ben and I hiked across the river and up to the hilltop fortress. Salzburg is such a small, pedestrian town that it was a really nice walk despite the cold.

Here’s me on the way up looking extra puffy in my down coat and 47 sweaters.

At the top, we walked around the fortress and went to the fortress museum. That was probably more interesting for Ben. 🙂 The views from the top were gorgeous though!

Afterward, we went to the Advent Market, which was so incredibly romantic and beautiful. We got warm drinks, browsed the stalls, listened to Christmas music and just soaked up the spirit of the place. Unforgettable.

Salzburg is home to Steigl’s World of Beer, which is a brewery and beer museum. We had planned to go check it out, and we thought we knew where we were going because it was marked on our map. We walked and walked and walked so many miles looking for it.

Finally, with no idea where we were, Ben decided to ask for directions at a hotel. We walked into the first one we saw, which was really warm and cozy and smelled like sausage. There was no one at the front desk, so we rang the bell, and a few minutes later, the oldest man in Austria shuffled out. Clearly we had just woken him up at, but he seemed very friendly anyway. Ben pointed to the map and the man mumbled a long stream of German, which Ben was miraculously able to comprehend.

Ten minutes later, we made it!

We sampled beer and ate French fries, then started out on the long walk back to the hotel. The city is gorgeous during the dayand just as beautiful at night! I’m in love!

Later that night, we gorged on Indian food at Spicy Spices – delicious!

The next morning, Ben and I took advantage of our comfortable bed and slept in. When we finally got up, we went back to the Heart of Joy Cafe for lunch. We had such a good experience the day before, and it was perfect again this time.

After lunch we went to more Christmas markets in the city. They were all unique and fabulous.

For dinner that night we went to BioBurgerMeister. They serve several types of veggie burgers, including two vegan varieties, plus sweet potato fries. I was in heaven.

In Salzburg, like many European cities, there is a “padlock bridge,” where couples go and lock up their wishes, then throw the key in the river. I always think it’s really cute.

Ben always thinks it’s ridiculous and worries about river pollution. Clearly, I married him for his romance!

The next day was Christmas Eve. We ate breakfast at our hotel then went to tour Mozart’s residence. It’s impossible to miss Mozart in Salzburg – he’s everywhere!

Mozart’s residence was actually quite intriguing. I learned a lot and it was fascinating to read all about the time period and events in Mozart’s life.

Later that day, we left for Vienna with big plans to return to Salzburg soon. Ben and I both fell in love with the charming little city and really want to see it in the spring. We’re looking forward to a Sound of Music tour and some hiking in the mountains. 🙂

As for the language barrier, it was almost non-existent. Almost everyone we met or encountered (save the aged hotelier) spoke excellent English, and they were totally happy to do so. In Munich, people seemed a little frustrated when we didn’t understand German, but in Salzburg it was no problem at all. Of course we still used German whenever we could, but it was really nice to be welcomed as foreigners!

See you soon, Salzburg!