Salzburg, Austria

The train ride to Salzburg from Vienna was smooth as silk. Along the way were small towns sprinkled throughout the countryside. Corn seems to be the crop of choice for farmers in Austria. Not sure what it is harvested for - maybe seed or biofuel purposes. Nonetheless, Austria certainly does not have a shortage of corn.

Our first night was spent settling into our place to stay and briefly touring the city center. Our hostel is a very small private room with a bunk bed (rest easy parents) and a small table. The name of the place is St. Sebastian and it is part of a church. The best part of the room is the view of the main street from three floors up. From here we can see the various shops and markets with a constant stream of foot and bicycle traffic moving through. Night one was a quick and friendly introduction to Salzburg. Highlights included: visiting Mozart's birthplace, seeing the most beautiful McDonald's sign we've seen anywhere, debating how fast the water in Salzach river flows (scary fast), an a yummy blow of curry to warm us on a cold night.

Day two, a full day in Salzburg, began the traditional European way with a small breakfast that consisted of one roll, jam, and cup of coffee or tea. We enjoyed ourselves and discussed which will be the best option for tomorrow morning - sleeping in or breakfast. We will probably decide the latter, for we ran into some of the folks we met in Vienna, as well as two couples traveling from Gresham, OR. Neither couple knew each other previous to breakfast, so it was one more reminder of how small the world is.

An afternoon in Salzburg, what a time! Once more, it was a full day on our feet walking, wandering, becoming lost then found, and enjoying the sights. Our first stop was close to our hostel but a steep climb for a view of the city. We agreed from high above that Salzburg should be nick-named the 'City of Bells'. It was high noon and it seemed that the entire city was ringing and singing. The view was wonderful.

From there we walked into the city center and enjoyed the central market, the Dom Cathedral, and St. Peter's Cathedral and Catacombs. After a brief lunch which included a couple of small seafood dishes we decided to taste test two gelato places. The second place won. Liya had banana then tiramisu and Ben had his favorite - hazelnut. A perfect was to enjoy a sunny day!

After a short siesta we decided to walk to Mirabellgarten, a small but well-kept garden with a wonderful backdrop of churches and castles. On the way we walked by what soon after became the coolest park we have ever played at. This park was not your ordinary 'let's take a swing park.' The 25 foot tall slide was a thrill ride and the giant basket swings were second to none. Be sure to take the kids!

Salzburg has been a great time, but we are overly excited for Munich and Oktoberfest. Liya's parents will be joining us from their travels of Eastern Europe and this will be a great treat. We look forward to making many memories at Oktoberfest, and hoping to remember a few ;)

Prost!