Highlights from Salzburg

It was so stunningly beautiful

When I woke up on Saturday in Salzburg I had zero firm plans for how to spend my day. I knew I wanted to explore the town; I had contemplated doing a cooking class; and I wanted to look for some trail running shoes. But none of that was set in stone. I wandered to a cafe to get some coffee and a bite to eat. It was there that I decided to do the apple strudel class, so I booked the only time slot left: 2pm. That meant my day would be cut in half so, if I wanted to look at trail running shoes, I’d have to go before cooking class since stores close at 6pm and I might not have time after.

I figured out where the bus stop was and hopped on the next bus headed to the outlet mall on the outskirts of town, by the airport. The route took me through the non-touristy part of Salzburg and, as we moved farther away from the center, I started to catch glimpses of the mountains in the distance and HOLY GUACAMOLE: The hills were alive with the sound of music! I kept trying to snap photos but was somewhat unsuccessful because: bus windows and buildings. But woooooooow. I decided then that I needed to find a way to go for a run in the afternoon just so I could see more of the mountains. No wonder this area is so famous!

I hopped off the bus across the street from the mall and headed inside to the Nike store. I was specifically interested in trying on a pair of the Pegasus Trail 5s. I hadn’t bought Nikes in years, but these were supposedly a good hybrid road-to-trail shoe, which is what I was looking for. Of course, guess what: They only carried the men’s version. Le sigh. I tried one other store in the mall but they didn’t carry Nike at all. Bummer. (If you’re new here, shopping for certain items in Albania, including good running gear, isn’t really possible, so I look for it when I travel.) The mall itself was actually really pretty and had all kinds of fun stores I would’ve enjoyed walking through, but that was not my focus.

So I hopped on a bus back to town. This one went right by the airport and had unfettered views of the snow-capped mountains. I was in heaven. Riding the local bus was a cost effective and easy way to get a tour of and a greater sense for the area.

I still had a couple of hours before my cooking class, so I decided to explore town. The weather was perfect, even a bit warm. I put in my headphones and played the Rick Steve’s Salzburg walking tour at 1.5x speed. It was pretty good! I started at the river (soooooo pretty) and ended up at the oldest bakery in town with 8 minutes till closing (1pm), where I managed to buy some brioche buns that were super light and fluffy. I wouldn’t have found those without the tour. It smelled like heaven in that bakery.

I wandered a bit on my own and ended up in the local weekly market, which was amazing! Unfortunately, it was starting to close up, but I bought a huge soft pretzel and saw the cutest gingerbread bunnies. I really wanted to buy some for the girls (they reminded me of gingerbread my grandmother used to have shipped to us) but I knew it wouldn’t still be good by the time I got back to Albania. (Also, I knew I’d be tempted to eat it. Ha!)

And then I saw various stalls with big sticks of greenery and colored ribbon adorning them and got very curious. I put together that the next day was Palm Sunday and figured it had something to do with the holiday but wasn’t quite sure, so I stopped at one of the stalls to ask. [Click above to watch the video short.]

Afterward, I picked up some (good) coffee and headed to the river to sit and enjoy the view with my snack. I finished just in time to wander over to my strudel class.

Funny enough, virtually everyone in there was American and the instructor was Italian, LOL! He was good, though, and we had a blast. I didn’t think I had a shot at rolling out the strudel dough intact because it gets really thin, but we did it! [Click to watch the video short.] We also made a local dessert called Nockerl, using whipped egg whites (plus egg yolks and some pudding mixture). It’s distinctive for its three-peaked shape, which symbolizes the snow-capped mountains surrounding Salzburg.

We got to eat some goulash while our creations baked and then we tucked into the desserts. I’m going to give what is perhaps an unpopular opinion: I’m not a big fan of apple strudel. I liked the one we made in class better than other versions I’d had in Vienna because it was crispy, but it didn’t have enough flavor for me. I keep expecting something more like apple pie and it’s just not that. I truly prefer apple pie. (It helps that S makes a really good one, which she learned from her Uncle Danny.) I also wasn’t a fan of the Nockerl, but I’m glad I did the class. Cooking and baking is so much fun and it’s always a nice way to meet others.

After class I headed back to my hotel to change so I could go for a run. On my way, I walked through Mirabellgarden, which was just beginning to show signs of spring.

I had identified a few different running routes I could try and settled on a meandering loop up on the plateau above town: Mönchsberg. What I hadn’t accounted for were the number of stairs I had to climb to get up there! They provided quite the warmup. But it was worth it because the panoramic views and scenic forest were amazing.

I had trouble following the route on my phone so partially did my own version in the end, but it was a good guide overall. I kept stopping to take photos because, wow, the views were impressive. And I loved running amongst the trees. At one point the route dropped me back down into town and then I had to climb a bazillion stairs back up to the top. My legs were screaming; it reminded me a lot of climbing the endless stairs in the Double Dipsea race I did in Marin—my last trail race before leaving the US. But no regrets about my afternoon run in Salzburg. [Click to watch the video short.]

I had intended to shower after my run and then casually climb back up to the plateau to watch the sunset, but I was exhausted so nixed the sunset idea. Instead, I got a recommendation for dinner and headed back across the river to eat.

I contemplated what to do the next day and decided that I would venture out of town to Lake Königssee. I had so enjoyed spending time outdoors in Salzburg and I wanted more of that. I walk and run around the lake in Tirana most weeks, but it’s not the same as being truly immersed in nature and I really miss the access I used to have to trails and the outdoors (in Colorado and California especially). Since it was relatively easy to hop on a bus and make the trek to Königssee, why not do it? Also, it would be my first time setting foot in Germany…

Have you been to Salzburg? Did you feel like the hills were alive with the sound of music? What were the highlights for you?