Mozart’s birthplace and a mountain town with a rushing river running right through the center, everything in the rain various shades of green and brown.

3 magical weeks in the north of Italy had come to an end once we boarded our first delayed bus ride of the trip from Venice to Villach in Austria. Ironical, given that the Italians have a reputation of not being punctual compared to the Austrians. First thing I noticed was how much I missed hearing the Italian language over the bus and train PAs – ah Italy, you’ll be missed, but we’ll be back for more next year!

Chapter 1: Train ride from Villach to Salzburg

The delayed bus ride from Venice to Villach had a domino effect in that we missed our connecting train from Villach to Salzburg and had to wait 2 hours for the next one. Now, the train ride from Villach to Salzburg is famous for being one of the most picturesque ones in Europe and it lived up to its reputation. I was absolutely captivated by the visuals of tiny little towns built on lush green lawns and snow capped peaks, a complete contrast to the rocky, stony terrain of the Italian cities we had visited over the last 3 weeks.

Just like a painting

Chapter 2: Salzburg and Dee’s love for the Sound of Music

We had arrived there during the festival of Rupertikirtag which is something of a mini Oktoberfest, i.e. a small fair, a beer tent that fits 500 people and a handful of people in drindls and lederhosens. Our initial impression of the festival was that it was quite grand, but we were warned that this would just be a mild warmup to Oktoberfest in Munich. And they weren’t proved wrong, but more on that later.

Now, the Pai was in a state of trance right from the moment we boarded the train to Salzburg, after all it had been her dream to visit the city where her all time favourite movie, The Sound of Music, was filmed.

She was utterly captivated by the mountains, the lush green fields and the little town of Salzburg. The song, ‘The Hills are alive’ from the movie was constantly on her lips and to be honest after a while I contemplated gagging her to give rest to my battered ears. Nevertheless, I too reveled in the pristine beauty of the city.

The Hills are alive!

Pairing up with Julie Andrews

We did the hike along with Emine’s mates, David and Bridget who were part of the ever growing CS community and on top of the summit reached one of many places along the German-Austrian border.

Did a ‘Gangnam Style’ tip toe over the invisible border to imply how easy it was to ‘jump’ between European countries.

Hiking with the group up Berchtesgaden

There was little chance of the group doing the climb down the mountain so we decided to use what was a first for us – Summer Toboggans to descend down the hill and the experience for all of 5 Euros was well worth it!

Summer Tobogganing in Berchtesgaden

We rewarded ourselves with an enormous serving of Kaiserschmarrn, an Austrian desert that is essentially a carmelized pancake made that melts upon entering the recesses of your mouth. But a serving for 4 ends up looking like a serving for 20 so ensure you’ve got some of me on the table before you order!

Kaiserschmarrn

The Facts

Next Stop: Munich