One staple that we have for visitors from abroad is a visit to Heidelberg. It's a winner, a tried and true tactic guaranteed to satisfy any visitor, and it hasn't failed us yet. There's something for everyone in Heidelberg: for the historian, the hiker, the foodie. Heidelberg is, by everybody's account, a fine small city. But Salzburg, Austria is a great small city. Salzburg gets my prize for the best European small city, and I've been to loads of them.
For beginners, we need to leave Vienna, no small feat in itself. Until we have negotiated the highways, bye-ways, and Autobahn intersections within the greater Viennese region, almost 45 minutes have passed. Heading west along the E-60, it takes a while until the first peaks of the Alps show themselves. The weather is very warm, so any extra clothing won't be needed. Our apartment is near Leopoldskron, in a very quiet, very suburban neighborhood. I am amazed at how quiet the area is and double-check our location. Walking distance, no more than a half-mile as the crow flies. Seems like the whole of Salzburg is hiding in the mountains somewhere. Spolier alert: we do not visit The Sound of Music museum. They will have to do re mi without us.
Once we arrive at our apartment, we gather our backpacks and start hiking toward town. We pass through wide-open fields, ponds, and forests. I'm all for it, but where is Salzburg? In front of our noses, as it turns out. We hang a right, and there is the famed Sigmundstor that separates the burbs from the inner city of Salzburg. A statue of St. Sigismund adorns the western entrance, and this two-century-old tunnel looks like it's aged well.
The Mozart Haus is closed due to COVID-19, which is a bit of a bummer. Salzburg's most famous native son was going to be on our itinerary, now we have to move on to the cathedral instead. What people probably don't know is that Mozart felt trapped in Salzburg, probably didn't care if he ever saw the city again after leaving it, since his opportunities there were so limited. We as tourists are spellbound by the place. On through the center city to the cathedral, which Liebi quickly declares as the "standard" of all churches in Europe. The nice weather enables free outdoor concerts featuring works by Brahms and, of course, Mozart.
After lunch, it's up to the Hohensalzburg fortress, the main attraction of the city. We forego the cable car after our lunch and hike it. The Hohensalzburg itself is worth the visit and, even more, worth the thousands of photos you'll inevitably shoot from there. Through all of the castle's wings, there are various exhibits featuring Austria's military history besides the residential wings.
From the fortress, we head back down the hill, across the river, and into the Mirabell gardens, featuring sculptures of Greek gods from as early as the 17th century. Out comes Liebi's camera and the clickfest that accompanies it. From the gardens, we get wonderful shots of the fortress looming above the cathedral. We hike back across a separate bridge, there is so much hiking and biking here, and enough space for everyone. Back in town, a lady on her bike vehemently rings her bell in the pedestrian zone, which earns her the anger of the usually mild-mannered locals.
Salzburg rocks, plain and simple. It's probably not the most accessible place location-wise unless you're coming from Munich, but we believe we had the right touch when we added Salzburg to the trip. A great place to spend your weekend. Salzburg is now our Heidelberg.
