A Saturday in Salzburg

I should begin by thanking Austria for their steadfast commitment to work-life balance.  This new to us work schedule for Husband Jared has afforded us time together like never before.  Ten times throughout the year Husband Jared has what is called a "super weekend", Saturday-Monday off.  As in no work!  All this in addition to the five weeks of paid holiday.  With a super weekend upcoming on the calendar we had originally planned to stay home, allow Thing 4 time to work ahead on school, take in some local sights and relax.  That all changed when we remembered we had Flix-Bus credit  and an additional coupon.  Salzburg here we come!  

Husband Jared booked us on the early morning train so off to the Hauptbahnhof we went, pastries and coffee in hand.  Thing 4 slept most of the 2.5 hour train ride and Husband Jared and I read and enjoyed the scenery.  Yes, there were rolling hills and farm land and Alpen mountain tops.  It was all quite idyllic.  We arrived in Salzburg and walked from the train station straight to lunch.  Our walk took us through the local Saturday market and droves of people, tourists and locals alike.  I am sure hearing me talk about markets gets quite old but it really is one of my favorite ways to get a pulse for the place we are visiting or traveling through.  Husband Jared found a gasthaus from the mid 1600's and we unanimously decided that would be our dining location.  Honestly it looked as though not much had changed.  Well, except for maybe the running water and indoor toilets.  The structure itself was charming with wood adorning every window, picnic style tables and vines and flowers draped from the window boxes.  Thankfully there was a table outside and we watched Thing 4 create art with the coasters while we sipped our cold beers.  We filled our bellies and decided a bit of walking was in order.  

Coaster architecture.

Off to the fortress.  It was a bit of a hike but oh so worth it.  The view of the city from above is spectacular!  The Hohensalzburg castle dates to the 1500's but the walls from this fortress are from the 11th century.  For a small admission fee you can enter the castle grounds and view weaponry, walk through the guard gates, listen to the church bells and even experience a marionette museum.  Who knew?  We did all of the above and then descended down a back alley way to the city center.  

Selfie with a view.

Inside the fortress walls.

View of city center, filled with Baroque architecture and the Danube. 

From the fortress to city center.  We ventured into the streets and meandered our way through shops and fountains, Maribell gardens, think Sound of Music, and all the people.  Thing 4 stumbled upon a Red Bull store, promptly entered and discovered that FC Salzburg had a match at home that evening.  Because we are nothing if not spontaneous, ahem, tickets were secured and we would be attending the match as our final stop for the day.  Before that though, we made a quick pit stop to Augustiner Bräu to share the experience with Thing 4.  It is Austria's biggest beer tavern and remains traditional to this day.  The garden is exceptional, the indoor beer halls are exquisite and the cafeteria style eateries are delectable.  Our choices included sliced and salted radishes, which Thing 4 immediately declared tasted like eating seaweed, a pretzel, but of course, and two steins of beer, drawn from wooden barrels and served in stone mugs.  Duh.  

Husband Jared and I took this exact picture two years ago when we were in Salzburg on our Bavarian tour.  Here's the most recent and below the one from 2016.  In case you're curious. 

Outside the Bräu and Brewery.

The beer garden. Grab a stein and join your closest friends or strangers at a community table! 

After our snack and beverage we made our way to the stadium.  The original plan had been to find a taxi to take us, when there were no taxis to be had we began walking the opposite direction of the stadium to a more populated area assuming we'd be able to flag one down.  No luck.  As fortune would have it Husband Jared navigated us to the bus stop and assumed we could purchase tickets from the driver, only when we entered the bus we were waved through and rode with the other fans on a FREE shuttle to the stadium.  Woo hoo!  A small win.  Our tickets were for the super fan section and I must say I was a bit apprehensive about this.  I was pleasantly surprised.  It was open seating and we were able to have a full view of the pitch and even remain seated for most of the match.  And yet we were close enough to experience the chants, the flags, flares and all of the hype from what I consider a safe and reasonable distance.  Any time we are at a professional match, I am intent on watching Thing 4's response to the environment.  He sat, elbows posed on his knees studying.  Taking everything in, the formation, the atmosphere, the fans, the grass, coaches' boxes, the dug out.  It really is something else.  In his mind I hope he's envisioning himself one day, in the not so distant future.  

Super fans and super flags! 

Outside the stadium.  Someday...

In order to catch our train back to Vienna we left the match just a few minutes before the whistle blew.  We had to find the local train and then connect at the main station and hopefully have enough time to purchase dinner for the ride home.  Yes, our planning aways centers around food in this family.  With a few minutes to spare we grabbed baguette sandwiches and boarded our train home.  Tickets were checked and we were on our way after a satisfying and memorable day spent in Salzburg.  As stated in previous posts, these mini adventures are so good.  They infuse our everyday life with experiences outside of the normal routine and as all travel does, whether near or far, it takes us outside of ourselves and into the lives of others.