24 Hours in Salzburg

Sometimes when we visit a place, we see every last inch of it, chew it up, drain the dregs, and belch comfortably as our train rolls away from the station. Sometimes, we get a taste of the place and enjoy it so much that we’d like to go back. That’s what we did with 24 hours in Salzburg.

Why Salzburg? Well, why not? Sam wanted to see it, and I had vague beautiful memories of a trip there in the 80s. When I had big hair. Now I have smaller hair, so I wanted to visit Salzburg again and see if it looks different.

We chose to do an overnight trip there because we had so much fun with our one-day family trip to Budapest that we decided to risk it and do an overnighter. Kid 1, our only girl, had already gone back to school so it was just me and the three boys--Sam, Kid 2, and Kid 3. I was missing my girl, but the boys are pretty nice.

We took the afternoon train from Vienna’s main train station. We’d heard that it might snow, but as soon as we left Vienna, the outdoors turned into a winter wonderland. Who’s scared of a little snow, right?

Now, all you mothers of boys out there, you know what you have to do to keep them happy, right? Feed them, make sure they’re well-rested, and keep them moving. When those things are in place, the rest of it usually works out. I recognized that those things needed to be my top priority for 24 hours, because while my children are old enough to be independent and/or responsible, in close quarters the possibility for reversion is strong.

View from hotel window

I decided to gird my loins, so when we got to our hotel, I made sure everybody was content and not too hungry, then left them to snooze while I walked around town for a little alone-time-exploratory. This kind of walk is key to my existence.

Christmas lights were still up, so it was quite cheery. ​

This dark and creepy staircase was not cheery. I turned back.

I found a few potential restaurants for our dinner and had a nice glass of champagne at a holiday drink stall while people-watching. It was below freezing, but there were plenty of people out enjoying their evening. If you bundle up properly, winter evenings are lovely.

We had a lovely dinner at one of the places I spotted called Shrimpbar. Shrimpbar! It was a tiny little place with delicious food. What more do you want? We walked for a bit after dinner, and turned in. Zzzzzzz all around.

The next morning, we found breakfast first thing. I had a typical Austrian breakfast. See my little egg spoon? It made eating the egg out of the shell easier. Well, sort of. Ok, not really, but it was an adorable spoon.

Next, we hit the town. We crossed the bridge over the Salzach River.

We visited Mozart’s birthplace. I’m not the kind of musician who gets all weepy in composer’s houses. In fact, I usually just think about how life sucked before antibiotics and indoor plumbing.

We headed for our next warm indoor spot, the Salzburg Cathedral. It was beautiful, with a Spanish service going on. Why Spanish? No idea.

Down below in the crypt, there was a stunning installation of candles with metal figurines.

Warmed up and energized, we headed up the hill to the castle. It’s huge, with things you’d expect (imperial rooms, weapons, armor) and things you’d never expect (creepy puppet museum). If Julie Andrews ever goes there and sees that hideous puppet that is supposed to represent her, she might sue. (Shiver).

At this point, the boys informed me with their body language that they were cold and would like to go indoors for the rest of the day.

I steered us toward a restaurant, where we sat and ate and talked until it was time to catch our train.

When my first child left for college, my wise big sister told me that I had always known my daughter as a child and now had the privilege of getting to know her as an adult. She was really right, and knowing my children as adults is rewarding and exciting. I still miss them, but vacations with them remind me that it was all worth it. When they leave me it’s always bittersweet, but the bitterness subsides and the sweetness grows. Thank God.