Salzburg: Day 1
Getting There And Settling In
After 25 hours of travel time, one is generally ready to just be done. Done with airports. Definitely done with flying in cramped quarters among a few hundred strangers. Done with dry eyes and thinking. Done with hauling bags. But filled with a sense of excitement. For we have arrived. Ready to take in the new. To experience that sense of wonder and awe once more. And especially to find the hotel, ditch the bags and breathe easy in our temporary home.
All of our flights were delayed getting to Salzburg. Flight one delayed well over an hour due to heavy fog in San Francisco. Flight two delayed for a variety of reasons to weather in Frankfurt (Germany) to the back up in air traffic in San Fran. Flight three was just slow getting us on the plane. I’ve never seen such a cluster of confusion. Being from the States I’m used to having my carry on luggage “stolen” from me by the gate agents if there’s even a slim chance of the overhead bins being filled. Annoying for sure. However, as the agents in Frankfurt did no such thing, the calamity onboard was nuts. People wandering up and down the aisle searching for room, shoving coats and moving backpacks into different bins. Some helplessly staring, hoping a bin might magically open up. It was insanity. Entertaining to watch. Turns out I might prefer to have my bag snagged from me. Maybe. I’m yet undecided.
The Salzburg airport was easily navigated. Bag arrived on time. Taxi’s and bus’ are right outside. We chose to take a bus into town as their system is quite easy to navigate. Bus 2 or 10 takes you to the Mirabelplatz stop in about 20-30 minutes. From there it was a short jaunt to the hotel.
We chose Leonardo Boutique Hotel in the Rechte Altstadt area, near Mozart-Wohnhaus. We are pleased with the location and accommodations. Plus, they gave us complimentary glasses of sparkling wine and offered a snack on arrival. Yum. Perfect way to begin relaxing.
Having arrived around 3pm we still had quite a few hours to fill. I had one rule. Don’t lay down. Best to stay up and acclimate to the current time zone. We made it until 8pm. Then fatigue overtook us and we tapped out.
Rechte Altstadt And Hettwer Bastei
Our feet pointed us toward the Salzach River where pretty pastel buildings line the waterfront. Plenty of bridges afford easy crossing at fairly regular intervals.
Staying on the Rechte (right) side of the river there are winding cobbled streets with a variety of shops, bistro’s, dining options and a few small markets. Most streets are adorned in festive Christmas decor as it’s currently December. An easy way to mindlessly enjoy the area, and we did need mindless as our jet lagged brains were just holding onto the last shreds of consciousness.
Finding an intriguing set of stairs next to a narrow upward winding one lane road led us up the hillside toward Kapuzinerberg, a natural area encompassing an entire hillside. The park offers numerous walking paths and viewpoints. We opted out as it was already dark, instead heading just below the monastery Kapuzinerloster, where there’s a lovely lookout called Hettwer Bastei.
From here stairs return you to the valley floor. A lot of stairs. They just keep going ever downward as you wind down the hillside.
Dinner: Bistro De Marquez
For dinner, we chose a Colombian Restaurant. Perhaps an odd first choice in Austria but we are so starved for variety where we live (think Pizza, Burgers, American bar food, tolerable Mexican and repeat over and over again) that we jumped at the opportunity.
Once seated, a lovely regular began chatting us up. She bounced around exuding pure joy and vibrancy. And a lot of Spanish. Turns out she’s originally from Columbia. I was not expecting to practice my rudimentary (at best) Spanish in a German speaking country. Especially while in a brain fog. With a lady rapid fire speaking a mix of English, Spanish and a few German words tossed in for fun.
If she couldn’t find the correct word in English and we didn’t get what she said in another language, she’d grab someone and ask. My favorite moment was shortly before we left. Our gal was telling me, mostly in Spanish, that she frequently gets asked if she’s cold (she was wearing a sleeveless top) but that she’s always hot. When she couldn’t figure out how to say this in English she grabbed a young gentleman from the next table and asked him to tell me. His face immediately flamed bright red and looking slightly aghast asked her, “you want me to tell her she’s hot?” To which I immediately burst out laughing and the lady launched into another diatribe. I did manage to tell him I had understood the first time around but wasn’t given a moment to acknowledge before she grabbed him. The lady can talk. I liked her and she made a groggy evening entertaining and all the more personable.
As for dinner itself, my only disappointment was that we weren’t very hungry going in. We split a local beer on our new friend’s suggestion. Both of us ordered Arepas, Doug the roast pork and I had the pulled chicken in mole sauce. Spicy for me. Mild for Doug. I do not typically like mole sauce at all. However, the lovely owner assured me it was made by her and not a typical Mexican style mole but a milder Columbian mole. It was delicious. A sweet corn flatbread sandwich stuffed with all the yummy trimmings.
Every dish that passed by looked and smelled delightful. The owner is a one woman team. She bustled around as waitress and chef. The few tables filled quickly and a few people that swung by were not able to be seated.
As a warning, reservations are highly recommended for dinner in Salzburg. Most places are small with only a few tables. And unlike in the States, people may sit for a few hours to enjoy the meal and their companions.
Good Spot For A Sandwich 
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