Geeked about Austria!

I was so geeked to go to Austria, I could hardly believe we were finally doing it! Darryl and I took a 3 day weekend to visited two swanky spots, Salzburg and Hallstatt. 
I've started to try and not prepare as much for each trip, having no expectation and going with the flow always makes the trip so much better. This is kind of against my "type A" mind thinking but it has really worked out. Darryl mainly being the influence behind having a much more relaxed trip, begged me to find The Sound of Music sights to see. Surprised but never questioning (in case he changed his mind) I found the perfect tour for us to take in Salzburg. As we enjoyed being in a new city we wanted to end this trip more relaxed in Hallstatt. We needed to feel away from it all and find out why Austria is truly a beautiful country. 

We started the trip to Austria from Munich, Germany. We opted to rent a car because it feels so much more relaxing when you don't have to worry about catching a train or plane.
So we got into Salzburg and did our usual, checked in and set out to find some food. Dinner the first night was okay, we choose a pizza spot that turned out to be a chain.. hate when that happens. After dinner we walked around, enjoying the spring air and light. It's amazing when you realize spring has finally arrived and there is still daylight at 8pm. We happened to lucked out when we stumbled upon Little Grain almost right across from Mozart's house. This speakeasy jazz bar had so many delicious cocktails, the atmosphere was pretty awesome too. We sat close to the bar in the back and loved watching them whip up cocktails. I've been digging gin and champagne cocktails ever since Hemingway's in Prague and Little Grain gave them some steep competition. 

No shame riding this bus!

Our Sound of Music Tour started off a little to early Friday morning, but it hardly mattered because our tour guide made me cry laughing the entire time. After I introduced myself and told him I was living in Germany he responded with "How do German's tie their shoes? In little Nazi's" So bold yet we couldn't help but love his quick wit. He kept it up the whole trip. I've been on a lot of tours and none even slightly compare to how Panorama perfected the Sound of Music Tour. I hated when it had to end. Some of our tour highlights were really the history our guide provided with his comedic anecdotes but also the filming process of the movie. 
We covered so much in 4 hours, it went by in a flash. Starting and ending at the famous Mirabell Garden's. 

As you can see I totally geeked out on this tour and have absolutely no shame in doing so because it was that awesome! So many wonderful memories of watching this movie with my mother and grandmother came back to me, it was hard to tame my excitement. The Mirabell Garden's above look just the way they did in the movie.

Few shots of Nonnberg Abbey

Few other famous scene's from the movie... See if you remember these photos! 

After our tour ended we walked around the city for hours. It was recommended to go up to the Salzburg Fortress but to start from the Museum der Moderne. It was nice walk, that we both really enjoyed after a nice pick-me-up with Julius Meinl Coffee. Meinl Coffee is new to me, but Darryl would get it every once in awhile when he lived in Chicago. Meinl  is served at almost every cafe and restaurant in Austria. It's so special because it started in Vienna in 1862 and upholds a tradition of excellence. 

We relaxed and shopped around at a few other places before dinner that evening. Grabbing another cup of Meinl and croissant at Cafe Tomaselli in a beautiful area west of the river. Also buying tons of Mozartkugel souvenirs, a famous pistachio marzipan chocolate of the area. That night we had dinner at a cozy little traditional Austrian restaurant called Zwettler's. No surprise we went with goulash... Seriously what is with Europe and goulash? I'll find out and let you know! 

View from Museum der Moderne

The next day we had a relaxed morning before driving to Hallstatt, getting in around 11am just in time to enjoy lunch! We ate a little spot along Seestrasse with an amazing uninterrupted view of the lake.

It's hard to go wrong with a hotel location in Hallstatt, the town is so tiny and quaint. We could not get over the views from our balcony or the Austrian feel of our Bed and Breakfast! 

After lunch that day we walked around town peering into tiny shops, We eventually started our trek up the mountain. The hike took a little longer than we anticipated... but the views from the top were astonishing. We had perfect weather to enjoy the cafe on top and take some awesome photos of the lake. We made it easier on ourselves and took the tram back down :) 

Hallstatt is a salt mining city and also part of UNESCO's World Heritage Site, fun little facts that we learned during our climb up the mountain. If you do decided to hike up instead of taking the tram we started from behind the Parish Church. Every 5 minutes or so up the mountain UNESCO provides interesting information about the city. 

The last touristy visit we made was to the Parish Church that overlooks the lake. A huge part of the grounds are dedicated to the cemetery. These graves sights are kept up immaculately! 

We had a proper send off that night and enjoyed a beautiful meal at Gruner Baum Hotel right over the lake. 

These two cities were beautiful and did not let me down, I'm so grateful for our short visit! I'm still hoping I'll make it to Vienna and a ski resort next year, or any reason to get my hands on a Meinl Coffee!  

Travel tips for Austria

• Best time to visit: May or June (most crowded in July- August) 
• Bring nice clothes for dining out
• Tip your awesome tour guides

Must Do's in Salzburg

• Panorama's The Sound of Music Tour 
• Julius Meinl Coffee at Cafe Tomaselli
• Walking through Mirabell Gardens and Nonnberg Abbey

Must Do's in Hallstatt

• Take a tram up to the Salt Mine 
• Walking up to the Parish Church and go in the Beinhaus (bone house)
• Dine at Gruner Baum Hotel 

Thanks for reading! All questions are welcomed, please feel free to comment below! 

xx, Abby