All that we had imagined..

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We woke up early our first morning in Salzburg to take the city tour. After a tricky morning realizing that we had to put coins in a machine to get hot water and that our b and b owner didn't quite understand the concept of bed AND breakfast, we were picked up by the tour company to join the rest of the group. The city tour was about an hour long and the history was fascinating. We saw sights from the Sound of Music movie and palaces built by Austrian kings. The city was definitely proud of their Mozart roots as souvenirs with his face displayed were everywhere! After the tour, we had time to spare before our train so we jumped on a city bus to a mall. We desperately needed to buy a new suitcase as the current one in its broken state was a death trap as the metal handle bars were exposed. We found a store, bought a suitcase, transferred the contents and took a bus back to the train station and still with time to spare stopped to get a bite to eat-gyros and falafel, which were delicious.

Next stop: Hallstatt. The train ride into the mountains was spectacular. While Austria was a country added last minute to our itinerary, it was a picture of Hallstat we saw online that it had to be kept on. It took 2 train changes and a ferry across a beautiful lake to get there but it was well worth the trek. Chalets lined the lake with mountains in the backdrop. We took our luggage through the winding streets breathing in the fresh mountain air. It was all that we imagined. Our hotel was just as quaint and the view was of the mountains. We checked in and bundled up with ponchos and jackets as it had started raining. We hiked around the quaint town taking lots of pictures trying desperately to capture its beauty. There were a few restaurants and we decided on the only one on the lake. We sat outside though everyone else was inside. The lake was so calm and peaceful and the waiter found us a table shielded from the rain. The restaurant was part of a hotel that was the oldest in town and had an interesting history of its own. After dinner, we walked more and as it began to pour and the town had become scarce of people, we returned to our hotel to sleep with windows open listening to the rain pouring into the trees in the mountains.

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Photos

Salzburg, Austria
Mozart's childhood home

Salzburg, Austria
Sound of Music location