I wake up late - 5:41am to be precise.  It's late because my train to Salzburg 
departs at 6:10am.  Thankfully, my hostel is reasonably close to the train 
station and I rush through snowy alleys and quiet streets to make it to my train 
with minutes to spare.

I try to catch up on my sleep on the train ride, but am distracted and 
captivated by the stunning landscape.  As the train rushes across Austria, I see 
peaceful hills and farms blanketed in snow, herds of deer grazing in the open 
fields, and the Austrian Alps in the distance.

It's not supposed to snow at this time of the year - I can tell by looking at 
the frozen bicycles parked on the streets, and the still-blooming flowers 
drooping from the weight of the snow.  I can't complain.  I love the view and 
it's not really that cold by any means.

Salzburg is absolutely beautiful.  I know I say this about many places I've been 
to, but Salzburg ranks at the top of my list with Dubrovnik.  Built on a unique 
terrain,  Salzburg is surrounded by three hills (mountains by our standards), 
with the wide Salzach River slowly winding through it.  In the middle atop a 
cliff lies the castle Festung Hohensalzburg.  Yes, it's another castle, but it 
is the largest preserved castle in Europe, mainly because it is perched so high 
above the ground.  It really does stand out as a city landmark.

Still feeling the urge to see mountains from my adventure in Zakopane, I drop 
off my belongings in the hostel and make a hasty decision to head south to 
Untersberg Peak, a dominant mountain visible from Salzburg, and the entrance to 
the Austrian Alps.

Having a little miscommunication with the bus driver en route, I hop off early 
on his cue.  When I think about, why I got off early really baffles me, because 
it should be pretty obvious if I've reached the base of a mountain or not.  

It turns out that I've arrived at the Hellbrunn estate.  Noting that it is a 
site of interest, I venture into the sprawling grounds to encounter pretty 
gardens and trick fountains, the latter being a set of humourous traps to spray 
and amuse unsuspecting visitors.

Back on the bus again, I reach a smaller town where I definitely find myself at 
the base of Untersberg Peak.  Unfortunately, the peak is clouded over, and the 
operator advises me not to go since there is zero visibility at the top.  I take 
in a few breaths of fresh mountain air, heave a sigh of defeat, and head back to 
Salzburg with lots of time to spare.

Salzburg really special with the snow.  It doesn't even feel odd to be wandering 
in the Christmas store.  From my conversations with people, Salzburg supposedly 
hasn't had a snowfall this early in 40 years.  Needless to say, I take the 
opportunity to wander around photographing the rare moment.

Aside from its beauty, Salzburg is best known as Mozart's birthplace.  The 
Mozart theme is everywhere - names of building, bridges, streets, squares, 
games, coffee, and a delicious confection named Mozartkugeln only sold here.  I 
make the pilgrimage to the virtuoso's childhood home, and end up staying there 
longer than I would have thought.  It wasn't the original instruments that drew 
my attention, but the descriptive details of life in Mozart's time, particularly 
in relation to poor hygiene.  For example, the streets were purposely flooded 
every week to clean out the sewage and garbage.  Unfortunately, the sewer was 
essentially shallow channels on the side of the streets, and the flooding was 
never particularly successful.

I take a break in Cafe Tomeselli, which also dates back to Mozart's time.  Tip: 
don't order coffee here.  It's expensive.  I save a few euros by spiking my 
coffee with Mozartkugeln liqueur I bought in a souvenir store, rather than 
ordering the pricey specialty coffee there.

Austria is expensive now following the adoption of the Euro.  Feeling the 
instinct to avoid going poor altogether, I walk into a supermarket where I stock 
up on fresh orange juice (via a cool machine that cuts the oranges and squeezes 
them), emmental cheese, caviar, and Mozartkugeln.  I definitely need a change in 
diet.  In case you didn't remember, I'm still stuffing my face with the wiener 
schnitzels I bought in Bratislava.

Afterwards, I hike up to the castle to get some great views before wandering 
down and getting lost in the city for a while.  Getting hungry again, I head to 
a cozy restaurant with a fireplace to order another one of Salzburg's 
specialties: knoblauchsuppe, a creamy garlic soup with croutons that isn't that 
special.  I also order a coffee, which turns out to cost as much as the soup.  
Tip: don't order coffee anywhere in Austria.

Night finally arrives, and I feel like crashing.  Instead, I gather up my 
roommates and we head to a popular beer garden for a drink or two.  The city is 
quiet, and even quieter as we roam around dark streets looking for the beer 
garden.  I would have expected a noisy party area, but we finally identify the 
beer garden's entrance simply by the street number and the amount of parked cars 
on the street.