I had a critical decision to make. Spend the next night in Salzburg, or push it a bit and catch a train to Hallstatt for the evening. Spending another night would help me slow the pace, relax, and enjoy remarkable Salzburg for another evening. While pushing on to Hallstatt would bring me to a place I’ve always wanted to visit, and I’m not sure I’d have the opportunity again on this trip...

Arriving in Salzburg the night before blew me away. A dreamlike hamlet surrounded by mountains with a river running through the middle. The Festung Hohensalzburg (big white castle) perches over the city on the Monchsberg while church spires fill the cityscape, visible in every direction. I got in around 4:00 from Munich and settled into a cafe next to the hostel in the old St. Sebastian church, to catch up on things. I had a traditionally wonderful dinner at Zum fidelen Affen, a venison stew with potato dumplings, pickled kraut and cranberries... sooooo good. I finished with a walk throughout the city over to the south side of the river in the neighborhood tucked under the cliff face of the Monchsberg. A historic and very old city not afraid to introduce some modern elements. A really great blend of old and new. I had the streets to myself, a chill in the air, walking around I thought ‘this is a place I could definitely see myself living...’

So the next day I wandered around for a while with my friend Ben. We found an internet cafe and again, got a bit caught up on things, then mapped out a plan for the day. Ben was heading off to Oktoberfest, and I still had a decision to make.

The peaceful quaint city I remember from the night before was replaced my an absolutely madly chaotic maze of streets full of tourists and busses and commotion. I was out of there... I checked out of the hostel, stored my bag, and walked the city for bit, catching the John Cage show at the Museum der Moderne, before catching a 5:00 bus/ train to Hallstatt.