Austria

As you see this is a story about Austria, and we will get there – eventually. But first, consider this; if you were asked to describe the German rail network, what might you say? Even if you knew nothing about it, you’d probably come up with words like ‘fast’, ‘efficient’ and ‘punctual’, right? Usually you’d be spot on, but our recent experience of Deutsche Bahn was something a bit different.

We’d planned to travel from Amsterdam back to Bologna via a couple of stops in Austria, so decided train would be the way to go. We enjoy train travel; there’s no mucking around getting to and through airports, you’re delivered virtually door to door, and the bonus is that you get to see the countryside you’re travelling through. So we weren’t daunted at all by this scheduled two change, three train, 11 hour journey.

It started to go wrong about an hour before we were due to leave Amsterdam. An incoming message advised that we were likely to miss our lunchtime connection in Frankfurt. No further explanation than that. When we arrived at Amsterdam Central it was apparent something was amiss. All trains heading for Germany were delayed or cancelled. We were travelling into and out of Germany that day, on our way to Salzburg in Austria. It wasn’t going to be easy; the line at the Helpdesk snaked out to the street. Eventually – and just in the nick of time to jump on our first train of the day – we were given a revised itinerary that had us travelling via Cologne instead of Frankfurt.

Suffice to say it was a day full of surprises – and not in a good way. Fortunately we managed to get seats, but on every train people were sitting on the floor or standing in packed aisles – for up to four hours on one leg of the journey. Still everyone, including the DB staff, were as helpful as possible (including handing out ‘refund for delay incurred’ forms) and we all managed finally to end up where we’d been headed.

It was only the next day when we saw the newspaper headlines, that we understood what had gone wrong. The previous morning one of the brilliant, high-speed German ICE (InterCity Express) trains had burst into flames just outside Frankfurt.

Very fortunately all 510 passengers and crew evacuated safely and no one was hurt. Of course the line was shut down and that, in turn, impacted the entire country’s rail system. But not for long. That newspaper had scarcely hit the streets before the German rail network was back on time – and our Austrian adventure was back on track.

Salzburg

And this was our destination; though it's an Austrian city, Salzburg is located right on the German border at the northern edge of the Alps

The classic view of Salzburg, picture-postcard pretty; the river that divides the city is the Salzach

The Altstadt, or Old City, sits on the right bank of the river (in the foreground) and the 19th-century Neustadt, New City, is on the left bank

Salzburg's Old City heart is a mix of Medieval and Baroque buildings; the Hohensalzburg Fortress on the hill behind

Looking back along the river, away from the centre

The gardens of Mirabell Palace where scenes from 'The Sound of Music' were shot

Especially lovely in autumn, even without Maria and the Von Trapp kids

The city's narrow streets are filled with shops and cafes

Salzburg's Old City is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site

Buildings facing onto one of Salzburg's numerous small squares; a perfect place to stop for coffee and strudel

The extraordinary Kollegienkirche (Collegiate Church) is a listed monument and another UNESCO World Heritage Site in itself

Completed in 1707, it's one of the most important Baroque churches in Austria - and possibly one of the most beautiful

This road leads to an important destination

The Augustiner Brewery where monks began brewing beer in the 17th century - their recipe is still a closely guarded secret

It's a traditional and very popular meeting place - choose your local fare, get yourself an Augustinian beer and relax in the autumn sunshine

Salzburg is also the birthplace of Mozart

So, of course, it's all about the great composer; maybe you'd like to attend a dinner concert?

Or perhaps you could just go a Mozart chocolate

There are Mozart bouncy thingies

And who could resist a Mozart bath duck?

Here's the house where Mozart was born in 1756; it's now a popular museum

But Salzburg is more than Mozart; this is 'Sphaera' by German sculptor, Stephan Balkenhol (the man on the sphere is carved from wood)

This day the Kapitelplatz, where the sculpture is located, was also the site of a great little organic food festival

Unsurprisingly there was much deliciousness on offer; these ladies were making Bauernkrapfen, traditional farmers' doughnuts

They're made from yeasted dough laced with rum (I know!)

Or how about these organic salami

The local kindy fundraiser stall; these little guys were hilarious - 'mate, you're eating the profits!'

Another view of the river; that bridge is covered with 'love locks'

But the local government doesn't seem mind; some of those locks have been there for a long time

That's a whole lotta love - shadows

There are many traditions on display in Salzburg; here the dirndl and lederhose are everyday wear for women and men of all ages

At the same time, it's a modern and very liveable city; the bike rack at the train station

We really enjoyed Salzburg and would return in a heartbeat

Hallstatt

Our next stop was Hallstatt, Austria's - and possibly Europe's - oldest continuously-inhabited village

It's also one of Austria's most popular tourist destinations

We came for the autumn foliage and weren't disappointed

The mountains above Hallstatt provide a wonderful view of the lake

There's a handy viewing platform to enhance the experience

Mountain path

We really liked these mirrored information cubes

Hallstatt is also home to the world's oldest salt mine; they've been mining salt here for 7000 years

Guided tours of the still-working mine are incredibly popular; they're part light and sound show

Part exhibition (this twisted Bronze Age staircase was discovered in the Hallstatt salt mine)

And part thrill ride - these giant slides (this one is 120m long) are the main method of transfer to lower levels; I took the stairs

But Greg jumped on - and loved it - look at that gorgeous smile! (And later you can buy your 'ride the slide' pic for 5 euros)

But luckily there's still time to be doing the Papa jokes 🙂

Next morning we were up early to catch first light

It was absolutely worth it

Even so, the swans were up before us

Dawn's early light

And then this, when the sun finally came up

We're not great at taking selfies ... can you tell?

Here's an interesting thing about Hallstatt; in 2012 a replica of the town was built in China, and so now the Austrian Hallstatt has become hugely popular with Chinese tourists who come to see 'the real thing'

Every day buses deliver thousands of Chinese visitors into the tiny town

Local traders have responded to this massive influx of tourists by catering to the market

There's even a dirndl hire service for that authentic photo opportunity

Or you can simply buy your own

There are also lots of signs around town reminding visitors that Hallstatt 'is no museum' and that the village is 'a no drone zone'

In the end, though, this is what Hallstatt is about and it's what we all come to enjoy - and hopefully the drones have been left at home