8.30am wake up call = nowhere near enough sleep. Oh well, up anyway! There was plenty of time to pack a small bag for the upcoming night in Salzburg and soon we were off (but not before picking up Maxi from wherever he’d ended up the night before). I had all intentions of enjoying the Austrian country side but ended up enjoying the back of my eyelids instead, oops.
After driving for an hour we arrived in Hallstadt. Hallstadt is quite a famous Austrian landmark and is often found on postcards. It is a picturesque little village squished between a lake and a mountain and it is often seen with flowers in full bloom. People may have heard the name in the news recently – the Chinese decided to make an exact replica of the village. Why I’m not sure, but it has apparently done wonders for the tourism in the original Hallstadt.
Today the village and the weather was perfect and I took many photos. I noticed at this point the flashing battery icon and realised I’d left my charger at home. And then my camera died completely. Great. (as such, many of the photos you see in my album after Hallstadt are brought to you by my host father) The village itself is small with few notable features – a church, a crypt full of bones and a graveyard. It didn’t take long to walk around and soon we were settled next to the lake under a giant chestnut tree for lunch. I watched the boats and swans cross the lake as I ate cheese dumping soup and then pork medallions. I have been spoilt in the culinary department this week.
Then, back in the car for another hour… in true roundabout Dorn fashion we eventually arrived at the youth hostel Jufa where we were staying the night. Soon we were out wandering in Salzburg. Salzburg really is a beautiful little old city, with its cobbled streets, its surrounding mountains, and the view of the big castle on the hill from most places. It is famous for being the place where The Sound of Music was filmed and being here again made me really want to go on the Sound of Music tour for a second time (insert many memories of great company here again).It is also famous for being Mozart’s birthplace, and as a result references to him are everywhere.
The Dorns like to experience a city with a slow, wandering approach, stopping at shops, going down sidestreets – this use to clash with my desire to go see as much as possible in a new place but today it was perfect. We soon stopped at a cafe in one of Salzburg’s many cobbled squares and here I tried ‘aperol’, a bright orange drink consisting of mineral water, white wine and an orange liquer. Everywhere you turn you see someone drinking one and it is no wonder, they are perfect for warm summer evening (the weather here, by the way, is 27, sunny, with a warm breeze).
Then more wandering, then to another cafe in another square, this time for dinner. I had gnocchi again, this time with creamy pesto, basil and mozzarella balls (it was amazing) and a glass of Gruener Veltliner, a dry variety of wine from Austria’s vineyards (also very good). By this time it was getting dark and after sitting with a few more drinks we began wandering home again. Some very expensive, dramatic lighting makes Salzburg in the evening spectacular, particularly the castle that is lit up high on the hill.
Back at the youth hostel we sat outside in the warmth with once last drink, again with the illuminated castle in the background, before retiring to bed (and blog writing) around 11.30pm. More Salzburg and travelling tomorrow!
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