Salzburg Expedition – Part 1

Frankly, there was no plan. As long as we were going someplace that was green and there weren’t many people around. After all, all you have to do is get properly organised and then it doesn’t matter where you are. Ireland may have been one of our desired destinations and neither of us have visited the country, but so have neither of us been to Hallein, Golling or Linz. The best thing about these trips is that you don’t know where you’re going. We arrived very early in the morning when it was still dark and the buses weren’t operating yet, and yet we were quite a distance away from the city centre. Despite the fact that we love to walk, we decided to wait a little for the first bus to arrive, so as not to get lost, and happily munched on our sandwiches and snacks in the meantime. The bus then took us directly to the hostel. We immediately glanced at the cosy and inviting chairs and simply settled in them. At least for a while. Let me point out that the weather forecast was quite gloomy. Of course, that wasn’t an obstacle, but when you’re experiencing a combination of lack of sleep and cold and gloomy weather, then you just want to tuck yourself into bed. Instead of tumbling into bed, we tumbled into the first open café that happened to be in the McDonald’s nearby. Yeah, circumstances. There were still hours until the check-in, there was a downpour, and we, too, were in a similar mood as the weather due to a lack of sleep. And so we just sat in a corner.

The dry, warm place, something that looked like coffee, and “tageszeitung” all made combating sleepiness somewhat easier. We weren’t the only ones who were glued to our corner indefinitely, there were some other people like us, so we didn’t feel as silly anymore. After a few coffee orders, snacks, reading all the daily news, free toilet, and not-so-improved weather conditions, we decided to unglue ourselves from our corner and head out to explore Salzburg, as that was one of the reasons why we were there in the first place. Tucked in anoraks and winter jackets, our heads hiding under the hoods, we began walking. There’s a whole different atmosphere in a city when it rains. Even reflections in the puddles change the city’s appearance and make it look like the ones from watercolour postcards.

We visited a few of Salzburg’s typical attractions, the castle, the narrow streets in the old town, the parks and mansions – all from the outside. And then, well, it started to pour again. We walked around for a bit and then sought out a new refuge. This time it was an African style café serving African tea and coffee. We treated ourselves to a cup of tea, warmed ourselves up and dried up a bit. The café was nice and colourful. Plus, it could boast with its Fairtrade products.

Finally, the hour arrived and we could head to the hostel to check in and unpack at last. Salzburg can pride itself on four hostels that belong to the Hostelling International network; each one having its own location near points of interest. The Eduard Heinrich Haus is located in a quiet neighbourhood near the Hellbrunn mansion and the zoo; the Aigner-Strasse is just a 15-minute walking distance from the old town; the Haunspergstrasse is located in an old city building near the main train station and also just 15-minute walk from the old town; and the Walserfeld hostel is located near the Salzburg airport.

We dragged ourselves back to our room after lunch and right into our beds where we caught up on our sleep. In the evening, we made an approximate plan for the next day and then slept until morning.