The hills are alive!!! (Salzburg)

Member Name: Ise-Ise

Product:	Salzburg
Date:	31/07/01 (85 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautiful scenery, friendly locals

Disadvantages: too many other tourists!

We actually wanted to go to Venice last weekend but ended up some how in Salzburg. For that turn of events I am very glad because I had a grand time. The reason why we could not go to Venice was because we were told that it was impossible to get accomodation at this time of year. We had almost as many problems though with Salzburg because of the Festspielen, an annual theatrical event held in the city, started this last weekend.

We arrived by train from Vienna and after a quick nip into the tourist Info (chocablock with Americans) quickly found our way to our Privat Zimmer (like a B&B) by bus (single tickets cost 22ATS and day tickets 40ATS). The bus route took us through the centre so we were able to get a quick glance at what was to be our new home town, well, for the next 48 hours anyway. Salzburg is situated on the Salzach river and can be reached by train from the capital of Austria, Vienna in about three and a half hours. Most visitors come via the Tirol or Germany as it is situated close to the border. My first thoughts as we passed through were "oooo, its very green!" (I like greenery, I grew up in the coutryside) and also how compact everything was. Surrounded by hills, the town is looked over by the Hohensalzburg, Cnetral Europe´s largest fortress and straddles the river on either side. It was very picturesque to say the least.

Our room was in a house in the suburbs and we were met by a friendly lady as we walked up the drive. Although we shared a bathroom with the other guests, it was spotlessly clean (infact Zoe commented that if the bathrooms were like that at her university, a lot of people would be a lot happier!) and also very good value (500ATS per night). we dumped our bags and headed off for a wander around the centre. Actually, we wanted to go to the cinema (don´t scoff), but the first one we found seemed to only show soft porn and the second was closed. In the end we settled for a meal and quick trip to the
internet cafe (to check DooYoo, of course). There is one such cafe on Mozart Platz cunningly named "Internet Cafe" and Big Net just off Mozart Platz on Judengasse. There are numerous cafes and restaurants with -as is the norm- tables on the pavements, the prices differ a bit so there should be something to suit all budgets.

Next day we did a LOT of sightseeing, we visited the Hohensalzburg, galleries, vantage points and museums. For 230 ATS we had purchased 24 hour Salzburg Cards, with this you get 24 hours travel and free or discounted entrance to over thirty sights and attractions in and around the city. Although you get free travel with the card we used that side of it very little, the main bit is very compact and almost every thing can be done on foot. To explain more about the benefits of this card would require a whole new Opinion. Therefore I wont go on too much except to say that you can go into a museum and if you don´t like it come out again without feeling guilty! Because you have not forked out the price of a ticket for that particular museum you can spend your valuable time elsewhere.

Our train was at three the next afternoon so we took the advice of another friendly lady in the tourist information and spent the morning in a salt mine in Hallein, a town southwest of Salzburg. We took a train for about half an hour, then after a short walk , took a cable car up the mountain. The trip called The Salt Train, cost 289ATS and included the train fare, the cable car and a tour around the mines. The latter two together when paying seperately come to 280 Schillings so that meant that the train only cost 9ATS, which was nice. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised, I had not expected it to be so entertaining. Most of the entertainment was had when we looked at ourselves in the mirror whilst wearing the mandatory, huge, thick, white trousers and jacket. All of us looked like we had escaped from somewhere dubious. The
tour took 90 minutes and it was conducted by a well informed guide who spoke in german and english. We were taken 300m into the mountainside on a small train (you had to straddle the seats and get cosy with whoever was infront of you.....) and then lead through tunnels, over an underground salt lake and best of all, down two wooden slides totalling
66m -hence the bizarre clothing.

By the end of our weekend I could not have gone to one of the many The Sound Of Music tours or Mozart concerts on offer (they are everywhere) even if I had wanted to! I think we had 30 Schillings collectively between us. Nevertheless, I went back to Vienna happy but shattered. I think a long weekend was a suitable amount of time to spend in Salzburg, we had 48 hours there and managed to fit everything in that we wanted to do. Oh, except the cinema, but I am sure they can be found in other cities aswell. Even in Vienna.

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