Saturday, May 28, 2022….Again we boarded a Flex bus, this time in Ljubljana bound for Salzburg, Austria. The previous post can be found here:

The border from Slovenia to Austria involved getting out of the bus, having our passports checked, waiting outside till everyone was done and then filing back in the bus. The previous days of 28-30 degrees had changed drastically to about 15 degrees. and it was cold just standing there. Some folks took a lot longer than others. One woman had a child with her and she had to produce several different papers. We arrived just after 5.30 and bus dropped us off in the middle of nowhere. I thought we were going to the south STATION but apparently got that wrong. So. Uber to the rescue as I did not want to walk 6 km with my bag. This was the first time we’ve had to use any kind of taxi so it’s not terrible. The driver was super nice and gave us a bit of info on the city.
Our room at the a&o Hostel Salzburg Hauptbahnhof was small but just fine and we even had our own bathroom. The last couple rooms we’d shared a bathroom so this was nice. Twas late and we were hungry so we searched for something authentic and found the Augustiner Bräu Mülln. It was interesting. There were a bunch of stalls selling various times of food. To get a beer you grab a stein (large or small) then pay to have it filled. The food was not great and some of the proprietors VERY impatient (downright rude?) but the experience was interesting.

Sunday. The hostel had a buffet breakfast so we ate there before heading out to explore the city. On the way I noticed a stall selling “Sound of Music tours” so I enquired. One was leaving in 5 minutes. So, why not? Sometimes one has to do the “touristy” things. I had a great time! It was a big bus with 60 people (not normally my thing) but it was fun. The guide told us all kinds of fun trivia about the movie. We stopped at various movie set locations and sang songs from the movie on the bus. The driver wore traditional shorts and was very entertaining as well. If you like the movie at. (who doesn’t??!) then take this tour. https://www.panoramatours.com/de/salzburg/

The tour ended at Mirabell gardens so I started there and went walking everywhere. I walked up a ton of the steps to the monastery for the view. I should know better. You just see the roof tops of all the buildings. The streets of the old town are great fun to explore as there are side streets, tunnels and narrow passageways everywhere. I visited several churches and cemeteries but my favourite was St Peter’s. The catacombs are certainly worth a visit as well with gorgeous views of the cemetery and beyond. There’s an interesting sculpture of pickles. Yep, they’re gherkins with a plaque describing Erwin Wurm’s piece. (linked to info if you’re interested) I stopped at Sacher’s cafe for the famous torte but saw the price and decided 8.50 euro for a piece of cake was way too rich for me. A cafe in the old town had a delicious chocolate cake with cherries for half the price and the coffee was good too. Although I got lots of photos of the fortress on the hill, I opted out of visiting it. I’m sure it’s nice.
For dinner we decided on a ramen shop near the train station. It was time for something different.