Day 4a - Fussen to Salzburg

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After breakfast I head to the bus stop to catch my ride to Weizern, which is where I will pick up the train to Munich. The entire journey to Munich is just over 2 hours, and from there another hour and a half to Salzburg.

In Munich at the main station I spot a Starbucks. (Note to Jeff - there are Starbucks in Germany). I make my way to the next train, which is only a few tracks away, board and find my reserved seat. This is a nonstop to Salzburg. We depart Munich on time at 11:26.

Around noon, I head to the dining car for lunch. I choose pasta - not much on the menu for sure. It was OK - nothing to write home about, and definitely took care of stifling the hunger pangs that were beginning to churn. The service was very slow, and I ended up finishing only 10 minutes before our arrival into Salzburg at 12:54. Off the train and to the street, I see Hohensalzburg on the mountain and all of the baroque rooftops across the skyline. I hail a taxi, and show the driver the name of the Hotel from my itinerary (I find this is always best because so many of the hotels have similar names). I have looked forward to seeing my friend/distant cousin Friedhelm and his wife Charlotte, who I am meeting at the hotel. A quick 5 minutes later, we pull up to the hotel and Friedhelm is waiting for me on the sidewalk in front of the hotel. A hearty bearhug welcomes me to Salzburg from my friend, I pay the taxi driver and talk for a few minutes before heading in.

We make our way into Hotel Kasererbrau, which is an 850 year old building located in the "Altstadt" or old town. I find Charlotte waiting in the reception area and we exchange warm hugs and greetings - mine in German,and surprisingly, hers in English! 2 years ago, she could neither speak or understand English - now, she's greeting me! I check in, we all go to our rooms to freshen up before heading out to explore the old city of Salzburg and its Christmas Markets (Weihnachtmakts).

My room is so cozy. It is a small single room, bathroom with a shower. Typical in size for a European hotel room, but I was so taken by the furniture in the room. All painted with a Dutch theme of tulips and other flowers - the bed, nightstand, writing table, small TV hutch, luggage table and armoire. Nothing formal or contemporary here - which is great - as this is an 850 year old building with its roots being a brewery and guest house and family home. I wanted old world charm and abience and I got it.

We meet in the reception area and head out for an afternoon of exploring.

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Photos

Salzburg
The ever familiar skyline of Salzburg