Traveling Tramps: Salzburg – Mozart, tourists and craft beer

Salzburg - for the 2nd time this year! Mozart's city greeted us with blue skies and though we were doing research for another guidebook update – Salzburg is our second-best selling guidebook after NYC! – it was a great visit. We stayed in the beautiful Auersperg Hotel, a real gem, a little apart from touristic old town, in a residential neighborhood and therefore quiet and peaceful. We've stayed here before and love the modern and unpretentious atmosphere (pics show lobby and room), tastfefully and well equipped large rooms, the "mini spa" with sauna/steambath and rooftop terrace and, especially, the breakfast buffet, which consists of organic and local produce, great fresh breads and other baking goods every morning (best walnut cake in the world!), cheeses and cheese spreads, different cereals and fruit, yoghurts and juices...

When we arrived to Salzburg on Monday, our first walk from the newly opened, modern railroad station ended at "Weiserhof", a typical Austrian restaurant, where the owner and chef focuses on regional cuisine with home-made produce (like sausages and breads) and seasonal and regional goods. From the outside it's just your regular gasthaus with a beergarden in a rather undistinct residential neighborhood, but inside it's cozy and always packed with locals . They offer a lunch special (soup and entree) for just 8,80 Euro and our additional treat was the Germknödel - a fluffy yeast dough dumpling filled with plum jam and covered with poppy seeds and butter (see pic). To die for!

Good, that we walked the city afterwards to burn calories! In the evening we met with our friend Maria in Augustinerbrau, huge beerhalls and excellent beer. Self-service and great atmosphere, too. Completely different, but a good discovery as well, was My Indigo (pic), a rather new self-service restaurant with healthy food options (asian/vegetarian...). We met with the owner and enjoyed lunch there, which is offered by modular system: rice/noodles or some other grains served with some meat dish like curry or chili, or veggies, topped with herbs/avocado/tomatoes or similar. Also, delicious soups, sushi and cookies!

We revisited Mönchsberg and the Museum of Modern Art - the location on its own, offering a georgeous view towards the fortress, is worth the easy drive up by elevator, but they also always show interesting contemporary art exhibitions. Of course, we checked out old town around famous Getreidegasse in detail, to notice that again some of the family-owned and -operated, traditional shops shut down and new fancy chain stores opened up. Last stop in the late afternoon was Stiegl Brau, another (large) brewery in town. They offer great tours, have a new multimedia show and a museum. Strangely, like last time, we met a Swiss couple - again, from Zurich, again, working for public transportation. We shared a table after the tour for the free beer tasting, chatted and drank some beers and took the bus back into town together without even knowing each others names.

"Craft beer" is becoming a bigger deal, here in Salzburg, but not only . Stiegl and other breweries are producing craft beers in small quantities and a new "Bottle Shop" opened, selling craft/micro brews from all over the world. Amazing, how fast a wave from the U.S. hit Europe...

Because of the gorgeously blue skies we decided to take the lift to the fortress in the morning of our departure day. Bought some provisions on the market then before looking for a train back home. One only every two hours now (instead of hourly), due to the newly introduced border controls and the refugee registration/camps in Salzburg and Freilassing. It's become tricky for commuters (and visitors) to easily get into and, esp. out of Austria. Had to change trains in Freilassing, which was a pure chicanery since no passport controls took place at all. Politicians probably never take trains...

View of Domplatz with Balkenhohl's famous sculpture and nearby St. Peter's Cemetery: