Despite pouring rain necessitating the purchase of an umbrella (don’t judge fellow Seattleites) this was one of my favorite days in Austria. While I could have done without the rain, it was a magical day where everything just felt perfect.

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Hellbrunn Advent Market & Schloss Hellbrunn

Located in Schloss Hellbrunn this market is about a 30 minute bus ride from old town Salzburg. I’ll note, this was the only market we had to pay to enter, which is silly as you then spend more money inside. But the ticket came with a complimentary drink, so less annoying when we took advantage of that. All that aside, this was my favorite market, with its numerous Christmas tree’s decorated in red and matching booths. By far the prettiest decor of any market I went to. Well done Hellbrunn!

Booths contained pastries, snacks and meals, Italian blown glass ornaments, yet more sausages, paper lanterns, gnomes, holiday decor, chocolates and pigs. Lots of pigs. Apparently they are a sign of good luck at new years. Or at least that’s what the gentleman selling chocolate pigs told us when we asked what was with all the pigs. Regardless all those pigs made me smile. Reminds me of my godmother who always painted us pig rocks when we camped when I was tiny. And of course ”sneaking” into her formal room just to look at her pig collection residing in a china hutch. I’m sure she knew. I was not a smooth or particularly sneaky child. I loved those pigs.

The market also contained a petting farm, sausage roasting area and a rather disturbing collection of Krampus. We should bring the Krampus tradition home. They are rather horrifying and just might straighten out a few kids. Yikes.

Now, can you guess the real reason I insisted on visiting Schloss Hellbrunn? Something important from The Sound Of Music is located in the park. The GAZEBO! Perfect that it was dumping rain on us when I saw it, and yes Doug got to hear as much as I remember of “I am sixteen going on seventeen”. His poor ears. The only bummer is you can’t enter. It is very much locked.

Wandering through part of the park was a wet and slightly miserable experience. Gloves off to take a photo. Back on to prevent freezing. Fun. Would have loved to explore more of the park but we got the tiniest sample at least. There are pools with fish swimming languidly within (probably because it’s stinking cold out), statues and paths through the towering tree’s. It’s truly beautiful. The puddles we slogged through and around were impressive as well. Drainage from all that rain was not so great.

After warming up inside the restaurant, where we traded in our drink coupons for one espresso and one cappuccino (much better than Gluhwein) it was back out to explore the fountains. Since it’s winter they weren’t operating but we could get the general idea. They even had a “trick” fountain. A stone table with stone seats all around. All but one seat had a fountain inside that would blast the person seated. The head of the table had no such fountain and thus the host would stay dry. Must have been a prankster as a child.

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Getreidegasse Street

This dazzling street sports many high end shopping options and many places to stop for a bite to eat. We walked it nearly every day on our way to and from the days adventures. However, this was the day we had chosen to explore the street. A Sunday. Not the brightest as most shops were closed. Oh well.

Roaming these street we found a “schmuckpassage”. Turns out scmuck means jewelry in German. Schmuck definitely does not mean jewelry at home. Stupid and foolish. See what I did there? Moving on we found another Advent market tucked away in a courtyard. And cheese. I love cheese! Cheese and More by Henri Willig is an Amsterdam based cheese company. We visited when in Amsterdam and were excited to see another shop. Came out with a black garlic and a truffle cheese. Mmmm! Turns out I can order it in the states even. Tempting. Very tempting.

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Mozart Cafe

Located on Getreidgasse Street this delightful cafe served up a pretty tasty lunch. While on the pricy side, as noted in its reviews, the dishes were well presented in a charming and warm atmosphere. Waiters were pleasant. I loved the pumpkin soup and Doug sampled bread dumplings in a mushroom sauce. The texture of the dumplings is a bit odd. Like wet stuffing.

We also tried the Salzburger Nockerl. This dessert, when ordered, takes some time to prepare. Made to look like three peaks of the local mountains this airy dessert is served atop a berry sauce and dusted with sugar. This is one dessert you dig into immediately as it will deflate and fall rather quickly. Your mountain peaks will turn into a sticky bog.

Being a texture person, Doug was not a fan. He nibbled on the outer more firm bits. I’ll admit, the texture is certainly different. And maybe a little off putting. Think beaten egg whites meet marshmallow fluff. But the flavor is mild, supposedly vanilla and the berry sauce was delightful. Am I glad I tried it? Yes. Would I order it again? No. Was it fun to eat? Certainly. Was watching Doug try to eat it hilarious? Absolutely. He really did try.

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Augustiner Bräustubl Mülln

This sprawling brewery has numerous beer halls to choose a seat in. Apparently it has outdoor seating for the warmer months. Being December, we were happy to stay within the buildings warmth.

To get a drink one simply grabs a ceramic mug off the shelf, in either 1 liter or 0.5 liter mugs, pays and hands it off to be filled directly from a keg. Grabbing a table is more difficult. The place may be huge but it is busy. Many tables are large and meant to be shared. We lucked out and were able to snag an empty table.

With its jovial patrons surrounding you, one can’t help but relax into the environment and have a good time. The people watching is supurb and nearly everyone is having a blast. The crowd is interspersed with locals out for the evening and tourists out for the day. Everywhere people are laughing and happy. It’s lovely to experience.

Hungry? They have food stalls selling a multitude of meats, breads and Austrian fare. Want another beer? Go for it. The beer itself is pretty light and tasty.

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Zwettler’s Wirtshaus

Dinner time again. This night brought us to a cozy and crowded Austrian restaurant with a rustic feel inside. Reservations are highly recommended unless you want to be frustrated.

Seated at a small table toward the back of the place was perfect. Doug chose the beer goulash with pasta and I, the braised oxtail with polenta. Neither of us were disappointed.

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