Salzburg part 2.. After going to Mozart's birthplace we walked to Fortress Hohensalzburg.
We walked through a Christmas market
We went to the oldest bakery in Salzburg and got a fruit sourdough. It was nice and fresh.
Then we went to the fortress. Ticket was €16.60 (£14.48) which included going up the funicular. I've never been in one before and it went a lot faster than I thought it would. Holly's been on one before and was really excited to go on it.
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There was a random bit that had games and activities with a labyrinth. We ended up matching the top score of the day. We did it on our second attempt then tried to do it again and couldn't so just left it at that.
It was slippy trying to walk up this hill
So we went to the top of the fort for a panoramic view but thanks to the snow couldn't see a thing! It was wasted. Snow does make everything look prettier if you can see it! So annoying as the day after when it stopped snowing it was the clearest day and would have been perfect but we wouldn't have had enough time before our flight home.
After we went to go to the cathedral but there was a concert on so you couldn't go in.
The food plan for the day was we were meant to be eating Austrian food from the Christmas markets but the markets didn't have the same food offerings as they had in Vienna. So that plan went out the window but Holly did get a mulled wine to get another souvenir mug with a Mozart chocolate - it's a bit like a Ferrero Rocher - chocolate with nut inside it. Not as good though.
After doing some research we found an Austrian restaurant called Barenwirt. It was a trek up a big hill and we nearly called it a day and couldn't be bothered going up there as we thought we would have to walk back down to go back to the hotel but luckily we were actually closer to our hotel as we were going in a mad loop.
It was super busy and they had the one table left which was this tiny one behind the host stand. We tried to ring this other restaurant that was near the Mexican we went to the night before but said they were fully booked and it would have been effort to walk there as the snow got heavier. So we just said yes to the table even though it wasn't ideal as it was tiny and getting the draft from the entrance.
We were lucky to get the last table as people were turning up and getting turned away. They also had a lot of take-aways so this was a good sign that the food should be good..
Schweinsschnitzel Wierner Art, Petersilerdapfel und Preiselbeeren - Pan fried pork cutlet, parsley potatoes and cranberries - €15.90
So I thought this was going to be a piece of pork and when it came they were like schnitzel and was so confused because that wasn't what I ordered but looking back the menu in German it does say schnitzel but not in the English translation!
We did end up trying schnitzel unintentionally! It tasted exactly what I thought just breaded pork. Not a fan as it was greasy and I don't like deep fried breaded stuff.
Salzburger Bratwust mit Rosterdapfeln und Speck-Krautsalat - Grilled Bratwurst served with roasted potatoes and cabbage bacon salad - €14.90
Holly's potatoes were nice. The bacon salad tasted like coleslaw. She got a side of sauerkraut which I wasn't a fan of. Was just like soggy pickled cabbage.
When they came to take our plates away we ordered dessert an apple strudel. While Holly was sat there I told him it was her birthday and he was like ok. Because we were sat so close to the kitchen we could see them coming out with the strudel and putting the sparkler on it. Holly pretended to be surprised and even put lipstick on ready for the video and photos!
It went on for ages!
Apfelstrudel mit Vanillesauce und Schlagobers - Apple strudel with vanilla sauce and whipped cream - €6.90
We actually got this for free as it was Holly's birthday. It was actually nicer than the one we had in Vienna as it was warm unlike the other which was cold.
It was still snowing when we finished dinner, was slippy and the snow was pretty thick. Did look pretty.
The perfect picture of Christmas
On our way back to the hotel we stopped off at the Christmas market outside Mirabell Palace and I got a nut pretzel for €4.90. Should have waited to get one in the morning as it was stale since it's probably been sat there all day.
Father Christmas snoring with his pretzel
Non stop snow all day..
There was a statute of fav Sisi next to our hotel
Last Day
We did take photos when we got to the hotel but I didn't like them so retook them before we checked out. Lighting was crap.
The last morning we had breakfast at the hotel it was €15 each (£13). Was like buffet style pick and mix of random stuff.
Tried a bit of everything just because and knew we weren't going to be having lunch. After we went for a walk to the centre and to go the supermarket to buy some stuff for home. The snow stopped and it was such a clear crisp day.
Could actually take selfies and better photos without holding a stupid umbrella! Didn't take anywhere near as many selfies as Italy because I was wearing gloves too cold to take them off to take photos!
Got this Chinese girl to take our photo and she was going for all the angles!
Photos are so much nicer when it's actually clear!
We walked back to the hotel and was going to the bus to the airport (the bus station is also right next to the hotel) but the woman in front was waking forever to get her ticket. The bus came but the driver wouldn't let us buy a ticket on the bus, you had to buy it from the machine so ended up walking back to the hotel to order us a taxi. The taxi cost us €18 about 20 minutes away.
The airport is tiny! Smaller than Liverpool, once you go through security the gates are just there and there's only the one bar and duty free. There was a few shops before security but didn't realise so we didn't look. Our flight was empty with loads of empty rows. We flew back with Easyjet and they actually put us next to each other but could have had a row each to ourselves. Was actually surprised out flight was still running it was that empty.
It was nice to be away but definitely prefer a hot summer holiday. So much easier to pack and more to do. We were sick of wearing our Doc Martens. Luckily mine are fur lined so were comfy but it was just too much wearing them for 4 days straight. Couldn't wait to have a break from them and wear trainers!
Austria - Vienna and Salzburg are both nice places but not places I'm shouting to recommend. When I've mentioned it to people the first thing they think of is skiing. There's obviously stuff to do as per my blog posts but it's just not the most exciting of places to visit. It has nothing on Italy and the food definitely isn't to my taste but I'm glad to say I've been and ticked it off my bucket list as another capital city I've been to.
