Salzburg is for Mozartkugeln lovers!

By mere coincidence, our one-week holiday in September coincided with Oktoberfest and one of our colleagues happened to pick up on that and got us all excited about this trip.
Our choice of airline was by far to fly Qatar Airways as they offer their Dreamliner carrier from Muscat to Münich via Doha; you can't go wrong flying with them or on their Dreamliner!

Once in Münich and it being almost the weekend, we decided to skip the Bavarian capital and head straight to Salzburg to spend the weekend and avoid the craziness that Oktoberfest would be during that weekend. So, we hopped on a train and headed to the land of Mozartkugeln and stayed at the Crown Plaza Salzburg - The Pitter which is located very close to the main train station as well as several nearby attractions near the Old City center.

Our choice of navigating the city was mainly on foot and these were the places we visited:

• Schloss Mirabell or Mirabell Palace:

​We came upon this palace within walking distance from our hotel and it so happens that some of my colleagues who had watched The Sound of Music were able to recognize it from some of the scenes from this movie; and so we had some photos taken here at the steps leading to the palace on our left and the gardens lined up in front of us.

• Salzburger Dom or Salzburg Cathedral:

​Here we entered the cathedral and checked out the surrounding area of the well-known Residenzplatz which at that moment seemed to be getting ready to prepare itself for some kind of big festival as they had a huge tent and some open-air market vibe going on. 

We stopped to buy our Mozart balls or Mozartkugeln which is a sweet made out of chocolate-covered marzipan and inspired by Salzburg's greatest son, Mozart!

Although this store is from the Reber brand which is actually made in Germany and not so authentic being in Salzburg, it is in the mid-range price below that which you pay at Cafe-Konditorei Fürst (the original but pricier) but pretty good in quality.​ 

... and so we continued our walk toward the ...

• Hohensalzburg Fortress:

​Rather than escalating the steps that lead to the top, we opted for the funicular ride. Once at the top, you experience breath-taking views of the city of Salzburg and the Alps.
Once you enter the fortress, you are treated to several exhibition rooms showcasing all sort of weaponry and military armory. The most striking exhibits were those rooms that showed different metal wardrobes meant to be worn by those that somehow had violated laws such as that of adultery, treason amongst others; but don't worry, all rooms are not just about weaponry and medieval torture, they actually have a room where they showcase puppets and what would be a puppet show for kids! 

After taking-in all the views of the city of Salzburg, we made our way back down on the ​funicular and came across ...

• St. Peter's Church, Cemetery and Catacombs:

Dedicated to St. Peter, this site is the resting place for many of the rich and famous families and individuals of this city of salt; but for those fan of The Sound of Music, you will notice that this is the site where the Von Trapp family hid from persecution.

The cemetery itself is considered by many one of the oldest and most beautiful in Europe while the catacombs are carved onto the rock beside the cemetery which are also worth a visit. If you make your way there before 5pm, you can pay to enter one of the catacombs by escalating a few rock-carved stairs that lead to a few altars and some mural paintings on the walls that have seen better days. 

To conclude our Day 1 of sightseeing, as suggested by a friend of one of our colleagues, we headed to the  ...

• Augustiner Bräustübl:

​This beer garden brews its own beer which you can find overflowing from a small fountain on the first floor. On the ground floor you find a rather big seating area with a small covered area and a much larger open-air seating.

• If you are hungry, just head up to the 1st floor and to your right, you will find sort of a market area that has several food booths from which to choose.
• If you want to experience some fun, turn left once on the 1st floor and you will come to a reception hall where a band plays and the locals go wild!​ This was the hall where we spent most of the night figuring out the lyrics to some catchy songs we liked as well as just enjoying some people watching, singing and sort of dancing the night away!

... and this one seemed to be a very popular Oktoberfest song:

... getting down #Austrian-style ... #swim, swim in the river ... #strong ... #oktoberfest ~ Make it a #goal to experience the #augustiner in #salzburg; or you might miss the #fun!

Un vídeo publicado por ريكاردو Calderón (@el_musafir) el 19 de Sep de 2015 a la(s) 11:53 PDT

At the end of Day 2, we splurged and dined at ...

• St. Peter Stiftskeller:

​ This restaurant was also highly recommended to us by the father of one of our colleagues. The St. Peter Stiftskeller is in fact the oldest restaurant in the entire world serving clients since 803 A.D. and you may find it within the complex grounds of the St. Peter's Church.

#Mozart and Christopher #Columbus ate here, too! - #throwback to a year ago today. . Within the walls of the monastery of St. Peter's Abbey in #Salzburg, you'll find St. Peter #Stiftskeller which has been named the #oldest #restaurant in the #world and in #Europe. . The scholar #Alcuin, a liege man of Charlemagne, dubbed "the most learned man anywhere to be found" documented the existence of this #inn on the year 803. . Read more on my bio link or directly @ el-musafir.com/oktoberfest

Una foto publicada por ريكاردو Calderón (@el_musafir) el 20 de Sep de 2016 a la(s) 7:43 PDT